I came across this post on Reddit and have definitely seen the same said on here recently, so I thought I would share this post about the meaning and origin of [name_m]Fitz[/name_m]-
Post:
The meaning and origin of [name_m]Fitz[/name_m]-
I’ve seen several people on here claim that [name_m]Fitz[/name_m]- names mean “illegitimate son of-“ in the past few months. After seeing it again yesterday, I decided to look further into (because it’s one of my favorite names) and couldn’t find a single website (for baby names or surnames) that claimed this.
this is what I learned:
This misinterpretation all came about because [name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]Henry[/name_m] kept having girls with his wife, and was considering passing the throne to his illegitimate son who he was fond of - so he gave the surname [name_m]Fitzroy[/name_m] (meaning son of the king.) However, other [name_m]Fitz[/name_m]- names had been around long before this, though some other noblemen used them similarly during this brief time period for sons they were close with… But that does not change the meaning of the name, and is not the origin.
The origin of [name_m]Fitz[/name_m]- names comes from distinguished [name_m]Norman[/name_m] warriors who, because they weren’t members of a specific land/society (people’s surnames used to be based on where they were from - such as [name_m]Roger[/name_m] de [name_m]Beaumont[/name_m] ([name_m]Roger[/name_m] from [name_m]Beaumont[/name_m])) adopted the surname so that it could be passed down to their descendants as a way of reflecting who they are from, rather than where.
(End of reddit post.)
Another user also added:
The title [name_m]Fitz[/name_m] actually comes from latin (Filius) then later old [name_u]French[/name_u] (fils) meaning “[name_m]Son[/name_m] of”.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] son of, not illegitimate son of.
Interesting. [name_m]Fitzpatrick[/name_m] is a family last name. Anything starting with [name_m]Fitz[/name_m] doesn’t strike me as first name material- definitely surname! But this was interesting - its good to deep dive into why names mean what the mean!
yes! [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_m]Fitzroy[/name_m], illegitimate son of [name_m]Henry[/name_m] VIII and [name_f]Bessie[/name_f] Blount. I always thought this was just because [name_m]Fitzroy[/name_m] was the only one of his illegitimate children that he admitted to being the father of, I never understood the [name_m]Fitz[/name_m] = illegitimate thing. Thanks for clearing it up xx
It is the origin of [name_m]Fitzroy[/name_m] in particular, and it’s the only one I’ve been able to find that is closely tied with illegitimacy. The other [name_m]Fitz[/name_m]- names had been around long before this era and are purely patronymic names, along with Mc- and -son.
One of the mentioned [name_m]Fitz[/name_m]- surnames so far is my surname. I really love it - though there was a family habit of giving a stupid name (think [name_m]Herbert[/name_m] Fitzherbert) for a few generations. Pleasantly dropped off by now.
Got into a few arguments with my ex when I said I wouldn’t be willing to take his much more common surname over my own. Oh well.
I’d never heard the ‘illegitimate son of’ meaning, only generic sons. Interesting to know people believe that’s the meaning.
@emelfem thankfully I don’t think most people think this, but it seems there’s certainly a handful who do. I remember seeing it on here a couple of weeks ago on a thread about [name_m]Fitzwilliam[/name_m].
The original poster on reddit mentioned it being important, especially on name boards, to not be spreading false information about names. Which I completely agree with!
I saw the post you mentioned on [name_m]Fitzwilliam[/name_m] a few weeks ago, and, as I remember it, no one was claiming that [name_m]Fitz[/name_m] literally means “illegitimate son of”, but that it has historically been used for some illegitimate sons of royalty and nobles (due to its meaning “son of”). That is not “false information”, it is true.
That said, I certainly don’t think use of the [name_m]Fitz[/name_m]- names should be in any way limited by this aspect of the prefix’s history. As you say, the [name_m]Fitz[/name_m]- names have a rich history of use beyond that specific instance. They are indeed patronymics just like the others you mentioned. And rather dashing ones, too!
I’m especially loving [name_m]Fitz[/name_m] on its own at the moment – so lively and punchy!
@katinka I just went back and found the Fitzwilliam post, and it was definitely stated that “Fitz was originally used as a prefix to symbolize an illegitimate child” which is not true, as this was not the origin of it or how it was “originally” used. And A few other comments agreeing with such:
Again, the original post was on reddit and not directed at this forum in particular, I just remembered seeing similar claims on here recently.
Fascinating. I really like a lot of [name_m]Fitz[/name_m]- names, so this was a very interesting background. I’d honestly never considered the “illegitimate son” thing, but good to know it doesn’t matter anyway.
I certainly never meant in my comment to give “illegitimate” as an original or literal meaning of [name_m]Fitz[/name_m], hence my quoting of that entire section of the Wikipedia page for context, including the words you just highlighted.
As I say, I really like it as a name (or part of a name), and I don’t think this part of its historical usage should put anyone off. But it is interesting and important to discuss different aspects of a name’s history, even the less appealing ones. And the [name_m]Fitz[/name_m] names are certainly fascinating in that department! The various usages give a real insight into society over the ages, very cool! I can see why they’re favourites of yours.
And? So sorry I seemed to offend you by using the wrong adverb. The name was still used to refer to the illegitimate sons of kings. It doesn’t mean people can’t use it. And I said that. At this point, it almost seems like you have a problem with the history of the name. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you want me to go back and change my original post? Would that make you feel better?
FYI, if you had scrolled to my next comment, you would’ve seen where I posted my source. I never said the name means “illegitimate son of”, just that it’s been used to denote this in the past. Which, again, is a fact, and says nothing about the usability of the name. So glad I could inspire the research though. It changes absolutely nothing about how I see the name.
Again, the original post is from reddit so I didn’t write that anyone on here actually said that the definition meant illegitimate, that’s directed at another forum altogether by someone else. I just shared here bc I remembered seeing similar things said on here a few weeks ago and when what I was talking about was questioned I looked it up again and linked the comment. I wasn’t trying to embarrass you or attack you or anything like that. I was just pointing out that it has been said on here that it’s original use was for illegitimate children. And I have no issue with the old illegitimate history but it is my sons middle name so I do take special interest in it.
I’m very sorry if I inadvertently started a disagreement. It was not my intention at all, I just find the history of this group of names really interesting and I guess I jumped on the “false information” thing without properly reading either side. [name_f]My[/name_f] bad entirely.
I agree it is, I never meant for this to offend anyone. You don’t owe me an apology, we were just having a discussion about baby names on baby name forum.
I was just sharing something I thought was very informative about a name I feel very connected to, I wouldn’t have done so if I knew it would create drama.
You should always feel free to share interesting stuff, even if it does cause drama (within the rules, of course). I don’t think this is a drama-inducing topic, I think it was me sidelining it that caused that so my apology stands.
I agree it’s a fascinating one and I love that you’ve used one of the [name_m]Fitz[/name_m] names, they deserve more love!
