2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Fitgerald
The son of Gerald, an anglicized form of the Germanic name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Fitgerald. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fitgerald surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Fitgerald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitgerald, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fitgerald
The surname Fitzgerald has its origins in Ireland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Norman-French words "fils" meaning son and "gerald" which was a personal name. The name essentially means "son of Gerald."
The Fitzgeralds were one of the most prominent Norman families who settled in Ireland following the Norman invasion in 1169. They established themselves as Lords of Kildare and became one of the most powerful Anglo-Norman dynasties in the country. The earliest recorded example of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gérald."
In Ireland, the Fitzgeralds held significant power and influence, particularly in the counties of Kildare, Limerick, and Desmond. They were closely associated with the town of Maynooth, where they built a castle and founded a university. The name was also found in various old records and manuscripts from this period.
One of the most notable figures in the Fitzgerald family was Thomas Fitzgerald, 7th Earl of Kildare (c.1421-1477), who was Lord Deputy of Ireland and played a prominent role in the Wars of the Roses. Another famous Fitzgerald was Gerald Fitzgerald, 9th Earl of Kildare (1487-1534), who was known as "The Great Earl" and served as Lord Deputy of Ireland for over 30 years.
Other prominent individuals with the surname Fitzgerald include James Fitzgerald, 1st Duke of Leinster (1722-1773), a prominent Irish politician and peer, and Lord Edward Fitzgerald (1763-1798), an Irish revolutionary and leader of the United Irishmen movement. In the literary world, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896-1940), the American novelist and author of "The Great Gatsby," is perhaps the most famous bearer of the name.
The Fitzgeralds were a powerful and influential family in Ireland for centuries, and their name has been carried on by many notable individuals throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fitgerald
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitgerald, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fitgerald bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Fitgerald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 71
- Black or African American24.3% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fitgerald
Fitgerald appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-22 bearers (-16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,998 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.9%) | Down 28,998 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 107 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Fitgerald surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #151,532 | #151,639 | -0.1% |
| Count | 108 | 107 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fitgerald bearers went from 108 to 107 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #151,639.
FAQ
Fitgerald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fitgerald?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Fitgerald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Fitgerald?
Fitgerald ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Fitgerald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fitgerald.
Has Fitgerald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fitgerald went from 108 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Fitgerald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitgerald, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Hispanic (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fitgerald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fitgerald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (24.3%), Hispanic (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Fitgerald (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Fitgerald mean?
The son of Gerald, an anglicized form of the Germanic name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Fitgerald (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Fitgerald?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.