Pinchin Family History

From the Old French personal name Pinçun Normano-Picard Pinchon apparently derived from Old French pinçon ‘finch’. Spellings with -ch- and -s- are often interchangeable as late as the 17th century. Pinchon or Pinson also sometimes alternated with Punchon (see Puncheon) but it is not known if the two names were genuine phonetic variants or were merely confused with each other.

In 1381 Poll Tax Agn' Pynchon and Nicholao Punchun are both listed for Harnhill and Driffield (Gloucs). In 1513-18 the manor of Oxhey Richard in Watford (Herts) was surrendered by Stephen Ponchon alias Pynson of London, carpenter (TNA C 1/511/28).

This is no doubt the same man as Steven Punchon 1536 in PROB 11 (London). For the change in vowel, compare Pinchard for Punchard.

Pinchon was reinforced in the 16th and 17th centuries by Huguenot migrants from NE France.