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

FitzWilliam, 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 FitzWilliam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of FitzWilliam in America

FitzWilliam is the 69996th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The FitzWilliam surname appeared 280 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname FitzWilliam.

We can also compare 2010 data for FitzWilliam 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 FitzWilliam

The surname FITZWILLIAM originates from England and dates back to the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of William," derived from the Old Norman French "fiz" (son) and the personal name "William."

The surname was initially used to distinguish the illegitimate sons of a nobleman named William from his legitimate heirs. It gained prominence and became an established surname during the Middle Ages. The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Fitzwillelme."

In the 12th century, the FITZWILLIAM family established themselves in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where they held significant landholdings and positions of influence. One notable member was Sir William FitzWilliam (c. 1460-1534), who served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord Admiral under Henry VIII and helped suppress the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion.

Another prominent figure was William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl FitzWilliam (1643-1719), an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Lord President of the Council. His descendants, the Earls FitzWilliam, were influential landowners in Yorkshire and played a significant role in the development of the town of Rotherham.

In the United States, the FITZWILLIAM surname can be traced back to early colonial times. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Thomas FITZWILLIAM, who settled in Virginia in 1635. Other notable individuals include John FITZWILLIAM (1666-1701), an English-born merchant and landowner in colonial Massachusetts, and Benjamin FITZWILLIAM (1760-1839), a American Revolutionary War veteran and early settler of Ohio.

The name has also been associated with several place names, such as Fitzwilliam, a town in New Hampshire named after the Earl FitzWilliam, and Fitzwilliam College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1869 and named after the 7th Viscount FitzWilliam.

Throughout history, the FITZWILLIAM surname has been carried by numerous individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, politicians, merchants, and military personnel, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who bore this distinguished name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name FitzWilliam

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

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 FitzWilliam 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 FitzWilliam 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 FitzWilliam was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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