Finke
A German and Dutch surname usually understood as a nickname from “finch,” and sometimes as a diminutive of an old personal name.
The #9,578 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,968 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most sources connect Finke with the German word for a finch, ultimately from Old High German and Middle High German forms like finco/vinke. In that sense it began as a nickname, either for someone thought to resemble a finch or, more broadly, for a lively or cheerful person. Some Dutch and Frisian scholarship also treats Finke as a diminutive personal name, related to older short forms such as Fin or Finne.
History
The surname is well attested in German-speaking areas, with related forms such as Fink and Finkler. In Dutch and Frisian material, Finke also appears as an old male given name that helped generate family names and place names. The modern surname may therefore have more than one historical pathway, depending on region.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century writers linked the name not just to the bird, but also to the idea of a cheerful or merry person.
From the historical record
“FINK (Ger.) Finch [O.H.Ger. fincho = Dan.- Norw. finke'\ FINKLER (Ger.) Bird-Catcher, Fowler [f. Fink]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)