Fun Facts About the Name Fitz
- 722 babies named Fitz: U.S. records list 722 babies given the name Fitz from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Fitz Mean?
Fitz means "son of." It comes from Anglo-Norman French fitz, a form of Old French fils ("son"), which descends from Latin filius, also "son." In medieval records the word was placed before a father's name to show descent, so a Fitz William was William's son - the pattern behind surnames such as Fitzwilliam, Fitzherbert, and Fitzsimons. In royal and noble families the same prefix marked illegitimate sons, most famously in Fitzroy, "son of the king." The literal sense of the element is simply "son"; "son of" is how it functions as a patronymic prefix.
Fitz Name History & Origins
The prefix entered English usage in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when Norman and Anglo-Norman families brought naming customs in which a man could be identified by his father's name. Written in medieval documents as fitz, fiz, or filz, it eventually became fixed in hereditary surnames. Kings used it for children born outside marriage: Henry I's son Robert was known as Robert Fitzroy, and later royal sons carried names such as Fitzclarence (the children of William IV and Dorothea Jordan) and Fitzjames (James FitzJames, son of James II). In Ireland, Norman settlers produced surnames such as Fitzgerald and Fitzmaurice, but not every Fitz- name has that origin - the Mac Giolla Phádraig family of Upper Ossory adopted Fitzpatrick as an anglicized form of their Gaelic name rather than as a true "son of Patrick" patronymic.
As a personal name rather than a surname element, Fitz is a much later and more thinly documented usage. It appears mainly as a shortening of surnames or given names beginning with Fitz- (Fitzgerald, Fitzwilliam), and only occasionally as a stand-alone first name. It also appears as a character name in modern fiction, such as FitzChivalry Farseer in Robin Hobb's Farseer novels; that is a literary use and does not show medieval use of Fitz as a first name.
How Popular is the Name Fitz?
Fitz has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2020. Its best rank was #1,851 in 2020.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,467 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2024 | #2,479 | 55 | 0.0032% |
| 2023 | #3,190 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2022 | #2,528 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 2021 | #1,967 | 76 | 0.0043% |
| 2020 | #1,851 | 80 | 0.0046% |
| 2019 | #2,220 | 63 | 0.0035% |
| 2018 | #2,683 | 46 | 0.0025% |
| 2017 | #2,395 | 54 | 0.0029% |
| 2016 | #3,023 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2015 | #3,389 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2014 | #5,320 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2013 | #6,365 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #11,288 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #11,082 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #8,859 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #8,554 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1988 | #7,656 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #6,593 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #6,584 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1976 | #5,891 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #5,479 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #4,328 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #4,136 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #4,095 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #4,255 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1948 | #3,859 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #2,953 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1943 | #3,050 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1941 | #3,679 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1929 | #4,180 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #4,450 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #3,265 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1919 | #3,884 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1914 | #3,035 | 6 | 0.0009% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Fitz
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with F
Unique Short Boy Names That Start with F
How the Name Fitz Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are kind, home-loving, hospitable and friendly. Since you take responsibility well, you are a good organizer of social affairs. Compassion for others is an outstanding trait. You are a great lover and a great flirt – an artist, musician, actor, teacher, nurse. Your character can be contradictory. You are practical, yet idealistic and intuitive; capable of selfless devotion to someone you love, yet look to receive payback. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Fitz's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Fitz's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.