Fish

• IPA^(key): /fɪʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɪʃ
• Homophone: fish

From fish, a metonymic occupational surname for a fish seller or a nickname for someone who resembled a fish. It could also be an Americanized spelling of German Fisch.

Fish (plural Fishes)

1. A surname.

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Fish is the 1425^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 24924 individuals. Fish is most common among White (91.87%) individuals.

Semantic loan from Latin Pisces.

the Fish

1. (astronomy, astrology) The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces.

   Synonym: the Fishes

   • 1668, ‘Godfridus’, The Knowledge of Things Unknown, London: G.P. for G. Sawbridge, page 20:

     The Fiſh directeth the feet: and theſe three be the ſigns of Winter.

   • 1862, [Frances Rolleston], Mazzaroth, or, The Constellations: Part III, London: Rivingtons, page 7:

     The Fish, His Church in union bound;
     The Lamb, once slain, but now enthroned;
     The Bull the victory shall gain;
     The Twins, Divine and human reign.

   • 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 48:

     Considering that after the domination of Taurus and Aries, the Fish (Pisces) comes next in succession as the Zodiacal sign for the Vernal Equinox, and is now the constellation in which the Sun stands at that period, it seems not impossible that the astronomical change has been the cause of the adoption of this new symbol.

   • 1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 150:

     Pisces the Fish, the twelfth Sign, had been easy to find.

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Fish”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 578.