Bish
A short English surname that is often a clipped form of Bishop.
The #9,314 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 88,339 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bish is generally understood as a shortened form of the medieval surname Bishop, from Old English bisceop, meaning "bishop." In some cases it may have arisen as a nickname or familiar clipped form rather than a formal occupational name. The historical sources supplied here point to Bish alongside Bishop, which supports that short-form explanation.
History
The surname appears in English records as a reduced form of longer names such as Bishop, a common pattern in medieval and later English surnames. Because it is brief and somewhat rare, it is likely to have developed independently in more than one place from the same source name. Modern bearers are most likely descended from English lines, though the spelling may also reflect later abbreviation in records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some surname lists treat Bish simply as an abbreviated or clipped version of Bishop rather than a separate ancient surname.
From the historical record
“WIMBUSH (Eng.) Bel. to Wimbush or Wim- bish (Essex), 13th cent. Wymbisse, nth cent. Wimbisc [O.E. -bisc, -busc, bush : the first element prob. repr. O.E. win (Lat. uin-um), wine, vine- (as in wintreow, vine] WIMER (Eng.) the Domesday Wimer-us,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)