2000
#78,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 225
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Fitzkee
Of Irish origin, possibly a variant of "Fitzgee" meaning son of the reed-like plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 236 Americans carry the last name Fitzkee. That puts it at #95,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,452,349 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fitzkee 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
236
1 in 1,452,349
Census rank
#95,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
206
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 206 bearers of the surname Fitzkee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 95069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzkee, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fitzkee
The surname FITZKEE is of Anglo-Norman origin and dates back to the 11th century shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is thought to have derived from the Old French words "fils" meaning son and "kee" which was a pet form of the masculine name Keith. The name likely originated in the northern regions of France and Normandy before being brought over to England by Norman settlers.
One of the earliest known references to the name FITZKEE can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of landholders across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. An entry lists a landowner named Radulfus Fitzkee as holding estates in Wiltshire. This suggests the name was already established among the Norman aristocracy by the late 11th century.
Over the following centuries, variations in spelling emerged such as Fitzkay, Fitzkey, and Fitzki. The name appeared to be concentrated primarily in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Northumberland. In 1327, records show a John Fitzkee serving as a tax collector in the village of Rippon, Yorkshire.
One of the most notable early bearers of the surname was Sir William Fitzkee, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III at the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. He later held lands in Durham and his descendants continued to use the FITZKEE surname for several generations.
During the 15th century, a branch of the family adopted the spelling Fitzkey and settled in Lancashire. Here, they gained prominence as wealthy landowners and merchants. One member, Richard Fitzkey (1487-1561), served as Mayor of Preston on three occasions.
As the centuries passed, the name spread across the British Isles and examples can be found in Scotland, Wales and Ireland too. A notable Irish bearer was Captain James Fitzkee (1702-1783) who commanded ships for the British Royal Navy and was renowned for his victories against French privateers in the Caribbean.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fitzkee
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzkee, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fitzkee 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 Fitzkee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 195
- Two or more races2.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fitzkee
Fitzkee 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
#80,678
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 235
+10 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 1,840 places
2020
#95,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 206
-29 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 14,391 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #78,838 | 225 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #80,678 | 235 | 0.08 | +10 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 1,840 places |
| 2020 | #95,069 | 206 | 0.07 | -29 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 14,391 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 Fitzkee 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 | #80,678 | #95,069 | -17.8% |
| Count | 235 | 206 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.07 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fitzkee bearers went from 235 to 206 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 14,391 positions in the national ranking, going from #80,678 to #95,069.
FAQ
Fitzkee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fitzkee?
Name Census estimates that about 236 living Americans carry the surname Fitzkee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,452,349 residents.
How common is Fitzkee?
Fitzkee ranks #95,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 206 people with the surname Fitzkee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (236), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Fitzkee.
Has Fitzkee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fitzkee went from 235 recorded bearers to 206. That is a decrease of 29 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #80,678 to #95,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Fitzkee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzkee, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Fitzkee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (195 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fitzkee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Fitzkee (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 Fitzkee mean?
Of Irish origin, possibly a variant of "Fitzgee" meaning son of the reed-like plant. 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 Fitzkee (0.07 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 have the surname Fitzkee?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.