2000
#12,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,258
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Fitzmaurice
Derived from the French "fils Maurice," meaning "son of Maurice," an Old French personal name of Latin origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,538 Americans carry the last name Fitzmaurice. That puts it at #13,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fitzmaurice 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 Fitzmaurice with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 135,049
Census rank
#13,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,213 bearers of the surname Fitzmaurice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzmaurice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fitzmaurice
The surname Fitzmaurice originated in France, deriving from the Norman French words "fils" meaning son, and "Maurice", a personal name of Latin origin meaning "dark-skinned". It emerged as a distinguishing surname for descendants of a Norman knight named Maurice during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century.
The name is thought to have first appeared in Wiltshire, England, and later spread to other parts of the country, particularly Ireland and Wales. In Ireland, the Fitzmaurice family established themselves as a prominent Anglo-Norman dynasty, with their ancestral seat located in County Kerry.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Fitz Maurice". This vital record commissioned by William the Conqueror provides a glimpse into the widespread adoption of Norman surnames during this period.
Sir William Fitzmaurice (c. 1100 - c. 1165) was a prominent Anglo-Norman nobleman and Lord of Naas in County Kildare, Ireland. He played a significant role in the Norman conquest of Ireland and was granted extensive lands for his service to the crown.
Another notable figure was Thomas Fitzmaurice, 16th Lord of Kerry (c. 1502 - 1590), who was a prominent leader during the Second Desmond Rebellion against English rule in Ireland. His resistance efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, but he is remembered as a symbol of Irish defiance against English dominance.
James Fitzmaurice (c. 1551 - 1579), also known as "The Arch-Traitor", was a member of the Fitzmaurice family and a key figure in the Second Desmond Rebellion. He sought military aid from Spain and the Pope in an effort to overthrow English rule in Munster, Ireland.
Sir William Petty Fitzmaurice (1737 - 1805) was an English scientist, philosopher, and early proponent of the use of statistical methods in economics. He is credited with coining the term "political arithmetic" and made significant contributions to the development of modern economics.
Lastly, Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (1780 - 1863), was a prominent British statesman and Whig politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807. He was also a respected writer and patron of the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fitzmaurice
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzmaurice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fitzmaurice 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 Fitzmaurice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,011
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 111
- Two or more races2.4% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 25
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fitzmaurice
Fitzmaurice 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
#13,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,288
+30 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 747 places
2020
#13,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,213
-75 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,583 | 2,258 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,330 | 2,288 | 0.78 | +30 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 747 places |
| 2020 | #13,221 | 2,213 | 0.74 | -75 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 109 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 Fitzmaurice 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 | #13,330 | #13,221 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,288 | 2,213 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.74 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fitzmaurice bearers went from 2,288 to 2,213 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,330 to #13,221.
FAQ
Fitzmaurice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fitzmaurice?
Name Census estimates that about 2,538 living Americans carry the surname Fitzmaurice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,049 residents.
How common is Fitzmaurice?
Fitzmaurice ranks #13,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,213 people with the surname Fitzmaurice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Fitzmaurice.
Has Fitzmaurice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fitzmaurice went from 2,288 recorded bearers to 2,213. That is a decrease of 75 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,330 to #13,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Fitzmaurice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzmaurice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Fitzmaurice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,011 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fitzmaurice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Fitzmaurice (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 Fitzmaurice mean?
Derived from the French "fils Maurice," meaning "son of Maurice," an Old French personal name of Latin origin. 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 Fitzmaurice (0.74 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 last name Fitzmaurice?
Find out how common the surname Fitzmaurice is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.