Show ContentsFitting History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Medieval Austria is the ancient homeland of the Fitting family. Austria, which was originally home to a Celtic people, was conquered by the Roman Empire in about 15 BC. Following the fall of Rome, Austria was repeatedly invaded by barbarian tribes, such as the Vandals, Visigoths, and Huns, who swept in from the east. During the 5th and 6th centuries, the Alemanni, Avars and Slavs settled Austria. The Avars were defeated in 785 by the Frankish emperor Charlemagne, who set up the East Mark, which later became known as the Österreich. Austria was ruled by the Babenburger dynasty until 1278, when they were succeeded by the Hapsburg dynasty, which ruled Austria until the 20th century.

Early Origins of the Fitting family

The surname Fitting was first found in Bavaria, where the name, historically associated with the landed aristocracy, could be considered to have played a major role in the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. The name was derived from the German word for "cousin," from the German word denoting "father's brother; one related to another, later, a male cousin." 1

The main branch of the family left Bavaria for Styria in Austria in 1587 and later moved into Silesia where they became one of the most respected families. The ancestral seat was the castle and estates of Feistritz, near the city Cilley, two miles from Graz in Styria. The family also acquired the castle and manor Miestitz near Oppeln in Silesia.

Early History of the Fitting family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fitting research. Another 249 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1547, 1622, 1653, 1666, 1734 and 1822 are included under the topic Early Fitting History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fitting Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Fitting include Vetter, Voetter (Bavaria), Votter (Bavaria), Vetters, Vetterle, Voetterl, Vetterling, Vetterlein, Vetterley, Vetterline, Vedder (northern Germany), Vett, Veth, Vether, Fett, Fetter, Fetters, Fetterle and many more.

Early Notables of the Fitting family

Prominent among members of the name Fitting in this period include the knight Eusebius Vetter, who so distinguished himself at the Battle of the White Mountain during the uprising...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fitting Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fitting Ranking

In the United States, the name Fitting is the 15,516th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Fitting migration to the United States +

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Fitting or a variant listed above:

Fitting Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johann Peter Fitting, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 3
  • Johann Caspar Fitting, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 3
  • Johan Philip Fitting, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1772 3
Fitting Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Johannes Fitting, who arrived in New York in 1841 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Fitting (post 1700) +

  • Andrea Fitting Ph.D, American founder and CEO of Fitting Group, an advertising agency based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1986
  • Hans Fitting (1906-1938), German mathematician who worked in group theory who identified Fitting's lemma, Fitting ideals and the Fitting subgroup in finite group theory
  • Willy Fitting (b. 1925), Swiss bronze medalist fencer in the team épée event at the 1952 Summer Olympics
  • Frédéric Fitting (b. 1902), Swiss fencer at the 1920, 1924, 1928, and 1936 Summer Olympics, brother of Édouard Fitting, and Emma Fitting
  • Emma Fitting -Ramel (1900-1986), Swiss fencer in the women's individual foil at the 1924 Summer Olympics
  • Édouard Fitting (1898-1945), Swiss fencer at the 1920, 1924, 1928 and 1936 Summer Olympics


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)


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