Find out how popular the last name Fitzhugh is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fitzhugh.

Fitzhugh, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fitzhugh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fitzhugh in America

Fitzhugh is the 10255th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fitzhugh surname appeared 3,144 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fitzhugh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fitzhugh to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fitzhugh

The surname FITZHUGH originates from the Norman French language and has its roots in England, dating back to the 11th century. The name is a compound of the words "fitz," meaning "son of," and "Hugh," which was a common first name derived from the Germanic name Hugho.

FITZHUGH was initially a descriptive surname given to the son of someone named Hugh. It was a common practice during the Norman conquest of England to use the prefix "fitz" to indicate filial relationships, especially among the Norman nobility.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname FITZHUGH can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Fiz Hugo" and "Filius Hugonis."

In the 12th century, the FITZHUGH family established themselves as landowners in Northumberland, particularly in the area around Ravensworth Castle. Notable members of the FITZHUGH family during this period include William FitzHugh (c. 1220-1298), who served as the Sheriff of Yorkshire, and Henry FitzHugh (c. 1350-1386), who was summoned to Parliament as a Baron.

The FITZHUGH name is also associated with several place names in England, such as Fitzhugh Gate in Durham and Fitzhugh Farm in Northumberland. These place names likely originated from the family's landholdings in those areas.

Other notable individuals bearing the surname FITZHUGH include:

1. George FitzHugh (c. 1510-1580), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I.
2. William FitzHugh (c. 1480-1535), an English nobleman and military commander who served under King Henry VIII.
3. Elizabeth FitzHugh (c. 1540-1593), an English noblewoman and heiress who was the wife of Sir Thomas Neville.
4. Robert FitzHugh (c. 1470-1518), an English landowner and Member of Parliament.
5. Henry FitzHugh (c. 1635-1690), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Northumberland.

The FITZHUGH surname has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its origins firmly rooted in the Norman conquest of England and the subsequent establishment of the family as landowners and nobles in Northumberland and surrounding areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fitzhugh

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fitzhugh.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fitzhugh was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fitzhugh has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fitzhugh was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fitzhugh, please contact us.

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