[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.