2000
#390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 73,522
First available Census row
Per 100,000 27.25
Uncommon Last name
Fitzgerald
Derived from the Norman French surname "fils de Gerald," meaning "son of Gerald," a personal name of Germanic origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 83,203 Americans carry the last name Fitzgerald. That puts it at #442 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 24.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,119 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fitzgerald 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 Fitzgerald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
83K
1 in 4,119
Census rank
#442
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
24.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
73K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 72,557 bearers of the surname Fitzgerald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 24.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 442nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzgerald, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fitzgerald
The surname FITZGERALD is an ancient Irish name with origins dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "fitz," meaning son, and "Gerald," which was a common Norman name at the time. The name essentially translates to "son of Gerald."
The first known bearer of the name was Maurice FitzGerald, a Norman-Welsh nobleman who came to Ireland in the late 12th century during the Norman invasion. He and his descendants played a significant role in the conquest and settlement of Ireland, establishing themselves as powerful lords and landowners.
The name can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book records several individuals with variations of the name, such as Geraldus and Giraldus, indicating its Norman roots.
One of the earliest and most notable FITZGERALDs was Gerald of Windsor, who was born around 1120 and served as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1172 to 1176. Another prominent figure was Maurice FitzGerald, the 2nd Lord of Offaly, who lived from 1194 to 1257 and played a crucial role in the conquest of Connacht.
The FITZGERALDs were also closely associated with the ancient Kingdom of Desmond in southwestern Ireland. The Earls of Desmond, a powerful and influential family, bore the FITZGERALD surname for several generations, starting with John FitzThomas FitzGerald, who was born around 1310 and became the 1st Earl of Desmond.
In the 14th century, the name was recorded in various forms, such as Fitz Gerald, FitzGerold, and FitzGirald, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation at the time. The name was also associated with various place names, including Kildare, where the FITZGERALDs held significant landholdings and influence.
Notable FITZGERALDs throughout history include Lord Edward FitzGerald (1763-1798), an Irish revolutionary and leader of the United Irishmen, George FitzGerald (1612-1665), an Irish Jesuit and theologian, and Francis Scott Key FitzGerald (1859-1935), an American author and translator best known for his work on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fitzgerald
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzgerald, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fitzgerald 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 Fitzgerald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 60,531
- Black or African American8.6% · 6,210
- Two or more races3.6% · 2,581
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,476
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 558
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 201
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald 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
#430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,356
+1,834 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 25.55
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,557
-2,799 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 24.27
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #390 | 73,522 | 27.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #430 | 75,356 | 25.55 | +1,834 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #442 | 72,557 | 24.27 | -2,799 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 12 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 Fitzgerald 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 | #430 | #442 | -2.8% |
| Count | 75,356 | 72,557 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 25.55 | 24.27 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fitzgerald bearers went from 75,356 to 72,557 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #430 to #442.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fitzgerald
FAQ
Fitzgerald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fitzgerald?
Name Census estimates that about 83,203 living Americans carry the surname Fitzgerald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,119 residents.
How common is Fitzgerald?
Fitzgerald ranks #442 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 24.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 24 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 72,557 people with the surname Fitzgerald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (83,203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 24.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 24.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 24 of them to have the surname Fitzgerald.
Has Fitzgerald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fitzgerald went from 75,356 recorded bearers to 72,557. That is a decrease of 2,799 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #430 to #442.
What does the Census say about the background of Fitzgerald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitzgerald, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Fitzgerald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (60,531 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fitzgerald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Black (8.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Fitzgerald (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 Fitzgerald mean?
Derived from the Norman French surname "fils de Gerald," meaning "son of Gerald," a personal name of Germanic 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 Fitzgerald (24.27 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 share the surname Fitzgerald?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.