Fitzjohn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Fitzjohn family

The surname Fitzjohn was first found in Cheshire where Eustace FitzJohn (d. 1157), was Judge and Constable of Chester. He was the son of John de Burgh, and the nephew and heir of Serlo de Burgh, lord of Knaresborough, Like his brother, Pain Fitzjohn (d. 1137), he became attached to the court of Henry I.

"He witnessed some charters of 1133. In the only extant Pipe Roll of Henry's reign he appears as acting as justice itinerant in the north in conjunction with Walter Espec. He won Henry's special favour, received grants that made him very powerful in Yorkshire, and was reputed to be a man of great wisdom." 1

Early History of the Fitzjohn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fitzjohn research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1137, 1432, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1538 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Fitzjohn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fitzjohn Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Fitzjohn family name include Fitzjohn, Fitzjon and others.

Early Notables of the Fitzjohn family

Distinguished members of the family include

the Fitzjohn family of Essex

Fitzjohn migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Fitzjohn surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Fitzjohn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Fitzjohn, a bonded passenger, who settled in America in 1758

Fitzjohn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fitzjohn Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Fitzjohn, one of the "Home Children" sent to Quebec in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Fitzjohn (post 1700) +

Harry Fitzjohn, American founder of the Fitzjohn Manufacturing Co
James Fitzjohn, 14th Earl of Desmond

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print