[1] This in turn comes from the Arabic word for fox, فنك (fanak, "fennec fox") which like the rabbit has large ears as its distinguishing feature and may have been confused during the development of the Maltese language, which is a descendant of the Siculo-Arabic dialect.
The word is also thought to be a respelling of Fenich, the German for millet farmer.
In fact, some bearers of this surname use the horse, a Phoenician symbol, on their crest rather than the rabbit.
Another variation is an Anglo-Saxon one where it is derived from a family living in Fenwick, which was in Northumberland and the West Riding of Yorkshire.
The surname Fenwick is still widely found in northern England and has spread through most English-speaking countries.