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Fitz History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Fitz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Fitz comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a person of iron point which may have been made in reference to a soldier or warrior. The surname Fitz originally derived from the Old English word Fiche which referred to iron point. One source claims that the name could have been Norman in origin from "Fitz or Le Fils." 1

And another claims the name was from "the Flemish, Vits; a personal name." 2

At times, sources disagree as to the origin of a surname. This is one of those times. Regardless of the aforementioned origins noted above, Harrison and Lower, two reputable authors on the study of surnames note the name could have been derived from a nickname, as in the "polecat" from the Middle English word "fitchett" meaning "polecat." 3 4 Conversely, Reaney another noted author notes "the common derivation of Fitch and Fitchett from the polecat is untenable." 5 In this case, we agree with the latter author who postulates the name was derived from Fiche, "iron point."

Early Origins of the Fitz family

The surname Fitz was first found in Essex where "the name has long been established." 6 However, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list scattered listings of the family by that time: Gilbert Fiz in Cambridgeshire; Walter Fiz in Bedfordshire; and William Fiz in Somerset. 7

While Essex was a stronghold for the family other counties listed Hugh, Roger, William Fiche in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1243, the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297 and the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 5

Exploring the Fichet variant in more detail, we found this quote of value: "After the Conquest the Manor of Spaxton was held of the Castle of Stowey, for many generations, by the family of Fichet. In the time of Henry II., Robert the son of Hugh, the son of another Hugh Fichet, is certified to hold it of Philip de Columbers, by the service of one knight's fee." 8

Stowey Castle was a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, built in the 11th century, in the village of Nether Stowey on the Quantock Hills in Somerset.

Continuing, "there were Fitchetts in Leicestershire [where] Dominus Fychet de Pakst witnesses a deed of Hugh de Craucumb's in Oxfordshire about 1230." 8

Some were found in Tavistock, Devon: "The gatehouse of the mansion of the Fitzes of Fitzford, noted in local history as the scene of a duel between Sir John Fitz (1570-1605) and Sir Nicholas Slanning, in which the latter was killed, had to be removed, but it was carefully rebuilt." 9 The fully restored Fitzford Gatehouse stands today complete with its imposing gated entrance as a holiday cottage.

Early History of the Fitz family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fitz research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1359, 1398, 1517, 1583, 1601, 1606, 1612, 1638, 1673 and 1704 are included under the topic Early Fitz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fitz Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Fitz has undergone many spelling variations, including Fitch, Fitchett, Fitchitt, Fittch, Fitche, Fitchet, Fitchit, Fitz, Fitts and many more.

Early Notables of the Fitz family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Ralph Fitch (fl. 1583-1606), English traveller in India, who "was among the first Englishmen known to have made the overland route down the Euphrates Valley towards India. He left London on 12 Feb. 1583 with other merchants of the Levant Company, among whom were J. NewBerry, J. Eldred, W. Leedes, jeweller, and J. Story, a painter. How far Fitch's travels and experience in the East may have contributed to the establishment of...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fitz Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fitz Ranking

In the United States, the name Fitz is the 6,818^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 10

Migration of the Fitz family to Ireland

Some of the Fitz family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fitz migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Fitz were among those contributors:

Fitz Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Fitz, who landed in Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1640 11
Richard Fitz, who arrived in Newbury, Massachusetts in 1672 11
Benjamin Fitz, who landed in Reading, Massachusetts in 1689 11

Fitz Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Peter Fitz, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1750 11

Fitz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johan Fitz, who arrived in Arkansas in 1897 11

Fitz migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fitz Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Titus Fitz U.E. who settled in Kingston, Ontario c. 1784 he was a Blacksmith 12

Fitz migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Fitz Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Fitz, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Ramillies" in 1849 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Fitz (post 1700) +

Rudolph H. Fitz, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 1st District, 1864 14
Margaret Fitz, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1980 14
Richard Fitz Pons (1080-1129), Anglo-Norman nobleman
Theodore Fitz Randolph (1826-1883), American Democratic Party politician, Governor of New Jersey, 1869-72; U.S. Senator from New Jersey, 1875-81; Member of Democratic National Committee from New Jersey, 1876 15
Joseph Fitz Randolph (1803-1873), American politician, Representative from New Jersey at-large, 1837-43 15
James Fitz Randolph (1791-1872), American politician, Representative from New Jersey at-large, 1827-33 15
Frederick Fitz Gerald, American politician, U.S. Consul in Cognac, 1897 16
Samuel Fitz Randolph, American politician, Member of New Jersey State Council from Middlesex County, 1784-85, 1796 17
Julia Fitz Randolph, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 1980 17
Fitz John Porter (1822-1901), United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War

The Fitz Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Esperance
Motto Translation: Hope.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAMILIES 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Ramillies.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html