Introduction

The Fisher Surname Study was established in 2001 by John Fisher, an amateur genealogist of over 35 years and a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies  and the Society of Genealogists.

The objective of this study is to reconstruct the lineages of all Fisher families with origins in medieval Britain. To achieve this we aim to:

• Compile a database of genealogical records of the surname Fisher.
• Define the genetic signature of every Fisher family by DNA testing.
• Analyse the historical and geographical distribution of the surname.

The scope of the study includes the branches of British families that emigrated to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. However, families originating from continental Europe where we find the equivalent surname “Fischer” are specifically excluded. Although sharing a common linguistic root, families bearing this surname are genetically, historically and geographically separate from British Fishers, and warrant a separate project in their own right.

Family Reconstitution

The first stage will be to use the census records 1841 – 1901 and the civil registration index 1837 – 1911. By correlating these two data-sets we have an opportunity to define all Fisher families of the 19th century and trace their lineage to the end of the 18th century. Potentially this will lay the foundation for a full genealogical reconstitution of every Fisher family and facilitate the identification and linking of the many families who resettled within the United Kingdom during the Industrial Revolution or who emigrated to the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to their British roots.

Documentary evidence alone may identify most families; but as we extend our research into the 18th century the incompleteness of this resource, particularly with a common surname, will inevitably leave many families unconnected. Ideally we should also test the DNA signature of every Fisher family to establish a rigid framework with which to verify the documentary record of all Fisher lineages. Such a scenario is very unlikely to be achieved in the short-term and fortunately may not even be necessary in the long-term: with ongoing testing we expect to see a convergence of results which could limit the number of tests required.

Finally spatial cluster analysis and population distribution statistics can determine the geographical origin of a surname. Although insufficient to identify the precise origin of individual families the mapping of surname clusters through time will assist the prediction of family groups and facilitate their correlation with DNA signatures.

Privacy Policy

Details on living individuals other than contact addresses for project co-ordination purposes shall not be held on the Fisher Surname Study databases. The identity of participants of the DNA testing programme shall be concealed by use of reference codes. Information submitted for registration or project coordination shall not be disseminated in any way by the Fisher Surname Study without the submitter’s express permission.

Acknowledgements

A project of this nature could not be contemplated without the dramatic development of on-line resources. Equally the Fisher Surname Study is indebted to Simon Fisher, Michael Fisher, Ian Fisher, Jill Thurston, Ann Thomas and Linda Welch who contributed to the digitisation of the ‘Fisher Civil Registration Index of England and Wales 1837-1900’, to  Roger Fisher who worked on the 1279 Rotuli Hundredorum and to the many Fisher researchers who have kindly submitted copies of their family lineages.

References

Black, G F, 1946, “The Surnames of Scotland”

Hey, D, 2000, “Family Names and Family History”

McKinley, R A, 1990, “A History of British Surnames”

Reaney, P H, 1967, “The Origin of English Surnames”

Rogers, C D, 1995, “The Surname Detective”

Redmonds, G, 1997, “Surnames and Genealogy—A New Approach”

Sturges C M and Haggett B C, 1987, “Inheritance of English Surnames”

Fischer-Treuenfeld, v. R E, 1894, “Lord Johan Fyssher….. An historical, genealogical and heraldic research”

Fisher, P A, 1984, “The Fisher Genealogy”

Fisher, F O, 1909-32, “De Stemmate Piscatoris”

Contact: fisher@one-name.org