The Finney surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 16,939 people carried this name — #2,139 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 17,400 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (16,919).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Finney surname

Habitational surname from several minor places in Cheshire, from either Old English finig (“heap”) or finn (“coarse grass”) + ġehæġ (“an enclosed piece of land”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Finney» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Phin’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Katherine Fin, Huntingdonshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Finn, Finney and Finnie.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 288 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 8 births for the Finney name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 5
Connacht 2
Leinster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

28 people named Finney is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 28

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Finney was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Staffordshire: 38 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 263. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Staffordshire 38
Derbyshire 21
Worcestershire 14

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

129 families named Finney, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 716 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 7 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 38
Pennsylvania 23
Maine 16
Connecticut 16
Vermont 8
Virginia 7
North Carolina 6
New York 5
Rhode Island 4
South Carolina 3
New Hampshire 2
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 240 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Finney in American newspapers,
1897–1900.

Newspaper page from The Progress carrying the name Finney
The Progress 1897-08-28
Newspaper page from Daily Inter Mountain carrying the name Finney
Daily Inter Mountain 1900-08-11
Newspaper page from The Progress carrying the name Finney
The Progress 1897-09-04

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 127,523 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Finney in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

25,890 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Finney. The most, 6,170, date from the 1890s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 3.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 15,303
New South Wales 5,720
Victoria 2,181
Western Australia 1,355
Tasmania 687
South Australia 527
ACT (Canberra) 50
Northern Territory 8

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Finney.

Who carried it

People named Finney,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Charles Grandison Finney
    Charles Grandison Finney 1792–1875 · writer
  • Frederick Norton Finney
    Frederick Norton Finney 1832–1916 · engineer
  • Thomas Finney
    Thomas Finney 1837–1903 · businessperson
  • Elizabeth Finney d. 1803
  • Letitia Finney 1710–1742
  • Samuel Finney 1719–1798 · painter

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Finney,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,397 records

1,397 records of the Finney name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 626
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 313
  • Other U.S. records 458
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Armstard Finney

    Born 1922 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1943 at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri; shoe factory worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1988, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Honora Finney

    Arrived at New York in 1865 aboard the Saint Mark from Liverpool, aged 30; servant. From America, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Glen Dwayne Finney

    Born 1931; from Montgomery County, Kansas. U.S. Army, light weapons infantry leader; killed in action 1953 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,397 records for Finney in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia459 records

459 records of the Finney name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 155
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 134
  • Other Australian records 170
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Sarah Finney

    Died 1938 in Tasmania, aged 88. Will registered in Tasmania in 1938.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Richard Finney

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Norfolk, arriving 1829; ticket of leave 1834.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Harry Finney

    Arrived in Victoria in 1886 aboard the Cuzco, aged 39; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 459 records for Finney in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada73 records

73 records of the Finney name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 45
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 11
  • Other Canadian records 17
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record G'o Finney

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Sarmatian, landing at Quebec, bound for Windsor, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William Kenneth Finney

    Died 1990, aged 29; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Sarah Finney

    Died 1950 in Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 73 records for Finney in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom29 records

29 records of the Finney name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 23
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Henry William Finney

    Buried in 1822 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 60.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Finney

    King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. J. Finney

    South Lancashire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 29 records for Finney in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Finney name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Roy Finney

    Married in 1945 in Nijmegen; carpenter.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Derek Scott Finney

    Died 1965 in Soest.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Finney

    Buried in 1751 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Finney in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand3 records

3 records of the Finney name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 1
  • Timaru and Mackenzie District cemetery records 1
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Finney

    Buried in 1873 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 45.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edith Finney

    Died 1999, aged 75; buried at Lyttelton Anglican Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Finney in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Finney.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Finney is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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