Explore the Family Name Fishman
The meaning of Fishman
1. Americanized form of German Fischmann (see Fischman), and a variant of the same Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname. The surname of Jewish origin is also found in Britain. 2. English: occupational name for a fisherman, or fish merchant. The surname with this meaning is very rare or perhaps already extinct in Britain. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Emanuel, Hyman, Isadore, Meyer, Mordechai, Yitzchok, Nachum, Yakov, Anshel, Yaffa. Russian Mikhail, Vladimir, Arkady, Leonid, Oleg, Aleksandr, Lev, Boris, Igor, Jirina, Raisa, Semyon.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Fishman in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Fishman has seen slight changes in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 4,774th most common surname, but dropped slightly to the 5,040th place by 2010, representing a change of -5.57%. However, the total count of individuals with the Fishman surname increased from 6,777 to 6,962 during this same period, showing a growth of 2.73%. While the overall proportion of individuals named Fishman per 100k population dropped by nearly 6%, the surname still maintains a presence.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,774 | #5,040 | -5.57% |
| Count | 6,777 | 6,962 | 2.73% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.51 | 2.36 | -5.98% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fishman
When looking at the ethnic identity associated with the Fishman surname, there's also been some shift according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, about 96.55% of individuals with the Fishman surname identified as White, dipping slightly to 95.86% by 2010. The Hispanic ethnicity saw a significant increase of 67.80%, growing from 1.18% in 2000 to 1.98% in 2010. Notably, the surname saw an emergence in the Asian/Pacific Islander community, moving from 0% in 2000 to 0.63% in 2010. However, the representation within the Black community dropped from 0.56% in 2000 to nil a decade later. Meanwhile, representation among those identifying as Two or more races decreased by 23.39%, and there was no representation among American Indian and Alaskan Native communities in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.55% | 95.86% | -0.71% |
| Hispanic | 1.18% | 1.98% | 67.8% |
| Two or More Races | 1.24% | 0.95% | -23.39% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.63% | 0% |
| Black | 0.56% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Fishman ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Fishman is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 69.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (9.9%) and French & German (6.3%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 69.9% |
| British & Irish | 9.9% |
| French & German | 6.3% |
| Other | 13.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Fishman
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Fishman have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 27.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 27.40% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 27.40% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 26.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 26.50% |
What Fishman haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Fishman is E-L29, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-L29 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include J-P58 and J-CTS5368, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Goldman, Feldman, Goldberg, Silverman, Epstein, Goldstein, Grossman, Schwartz, Berman, Bernstein.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Fishman surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96Your maternal lineage may be linked to many people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent
A few branches of haplogroup K, such as K1a9, K2a2a, and K1a1b1a, are specific to Jewish populations and especially to Ashkenazi Jews, whose roots lie in central and eastern Europe. These branches of haplogroup K are found at levels of 30% among the Ashkenazim. But they are also found at lower levels in Jewish populations from the Middle East and Africa, and among Sephardic Jews who trace their roots to medieval Spain. That indicates an origin of those K haplogroup branches in the Middle East before 70 AD, when the Roman destruction of Jerusalem scattered the Jewish people around the Mediterranean and beyond.About 1.7 million Ashkenazi Jews living today (nearly 20% of the population) share a single branch of the K haplogroup, K1a1b1a. The diversity of that haplogroup suggests that it arose in the Middle East between 2,000 and 3,000 years ago, and that everyone who shares it today could descend from a woman who lived as recently as 700 years ago. A similar pattern in two other K branches, K1a9 and K2a2, as well as the N1b branch of haplogroup N, has led researchers to conclude that 40% of the Ashkenazim living today – about 3.4 million people – could descend from as few as four women who lived within the last 2,000 years.
What do people with the surname Fishman have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Fishman" Surname 53.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Fishman" Surname 26.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Fishman" Surname 18.8%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Fishman" Surname 18.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Fishman?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Fishman are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition