2000
#9,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,202
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Fitzhugh
Derived from a Norman French nickname meaning "son of the man with light-colored hair."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,503 Americans carry the last name Fitzhugh. That puts it at #10,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,846 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fitzhugh 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fitzhugh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,846
Census rank
#10,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,055 bearers of the surname Fitzhugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzhugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fitzhugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzhugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fitzhugh 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 Fitzhugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.1% · 2,081
- Black or African American22.7% · 694
- Two or more races4.8% · 147
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fitzhugh
Fitzhugh 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
#10,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,144
-58 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 915 places
2020
#10,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,055
-89 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,340 | 3,202 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,255 | 3,144 | 1.07 | -58 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 915 places |
| 2020 | #10,057 | 3,055 | 1.02 | -89 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 198 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 Fitzhugh 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 | #10,255 | #10,057 | 1.9% |
| Count | 3,144 | 3,055 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.02 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fitzhugh bearers went from 3,144 to 3,055 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 198 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,255 to #10,057.
FAQ
Fitzhugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fitzhugh?
Name Census estimates that about 3,503 living Americans carry the surname Fitzhugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,846 residents.
How common is Fitzhugh?
Fitzhugh ranks #10,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,055 people with the surname Fitzhugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,503), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fitzhugh.
Has Fitzhugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fitzhugh went from 3,144 recorded bearers to 3,055. That is a decrease of 89 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,255 to #10,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Fitzhugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzhugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fitzhugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (2,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fitzhugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.1%), Black (22.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fitzhugh (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 Fitzhugh mean?
Derived from a Norman French nickname meaning "son of the man with light-colored hair." 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 Fitzhugh (1.02 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 common is the surname Fitzhugh?
Find out how many people have the last name Fitzhugh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.