A German and English surname, Fisher comes from the Old English term of ‘fiscare’ which meant fisherman. In Middle English it was spelled ‘fischer.‘ As a Gaelic term the name could be Salmon. With the Irish Gaelic the surname is written O’Bradain. The Dutch form is written Visser. In Hungarian it is Halasz. In Italian the Fisher surname is Prescatore and in Polish the name is Rybarz. The German spelling for Fisher is Fischer.

The Fisher surname is numerous throughout Ireland especially Ulster, Antrim County, Ireland.

In England most Fisher families live in London, Yorkshire and Lancashire counties. There are scatterings of Fisher families in additional counties of Cumberland, Derbyshire, Warwickshire and Essex. In Scotland the Fisher name is mostly in the central region, especially in Lanarkshire county. Many from Great Britain traveled to New Zealand, Australia and Canada to resettle.

Within the United States the surname of Fisher is found in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Famous: Eddie Fisher (singer), Anna Lee Fisher (U. S. astronaut), Carrie Fisher (actress), Donald G. Fisher (established Gap Clothing Stores), Jo Fisher (New Zealand soccer player), Hammond Ed. Fisher (cartoonist and artist), Mel Fisher (underwater treasure hunter), Travis Fisher (professional football player), Peter Fisher (19th century Canadian historian) and John Dix Fisher (19th century founder of Perkins School for the Blind).