Language & meaning
Meaning & Irish forms
Gaelic Gaelic Irish: an English rendering of Mac Giolla Phádraig, the surname of the royal Dál Birn line of Osraige (Ossory), adopted in its Fitz form under Henry VIII.[1][2][3]
The name is built on the personal name Giolla Phádraig, usually explained as “servant or devotee of St Patrick”. Giolla means a lad or servant, here in the sense of a devotee of the saint. Wikipedia notes that the name first appears in the annals in the late 10th century among the Christian Norse of Waterford, and some scholars suspect Norse influence on its use in Ossory.[1][5][2]
Pronunciation
Fitzpatrick: fits-PAT-rik
Mac Giolla Phádraig: mok GIL-uh FAW-drig /mˠək ˈɟɪl̪ˠə ˈfˠaːd̪ˠɾˠəɟ/[2]
Place
Where the Fitzpatricks lived
How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.
Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.
Highest concentration · 1901
Laois
189 per 10,000
1,081 Fitzpatricks · 8.35× the national share
Highest share, 1901
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1911
Laois
168 per 10,000
919 Fitzpatricks · 7.66× the national share
Highest share, 1911
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1926
Laois
178 per 10,000
917 Fitzpatricks · 6.64× the national share
Highest share, 1926
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
County figures as a table
| County | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Per 10k 1901 | Per 10k 1911 | Per 10k 1926 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 285 | 303 | — | 6 | 6 | — |
| Armagh | 66 | 70 | — | 5 | 6 | — |
| Carlow | 240 | 184 | 194 | 65 | 51 | 57 |
| Cavan | 1,215 | 1,103 | 968 | 125 | 121 | 118 |
| Clare | 492 | 466 | 441 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Cork | 634 | 621 | 567 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Donegal | 31 | 38 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Down | 749 | 740 | — | 26 | 24 | — |
| Dublin | 1,289 | 1,389 | 1,633 | 29 | 29 | 33 |
| Fermanagh | 290 | 263 | — | 45 | 43 | — |
| Galway | 228 | 228 | 190 | 12 | 13 | 11 |
| Kerry | 144 | 138 | 123 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Kildare | 299 | 278 | 212 | 49 | 42 | 37 |
| Kilkenny | 380 | 379 | 371 | 50 | 51 | 53 |
| Laois | 1,081 | 919 | 917 | 189 | 168 | 178 |
| Leitrim | 140 | 152 | 102 | 20 | 24 | 18 |
| Limerick | 147 | 116 | 157 | 10 | 8 | 11 |
| Londonderry | 20 | 28 | — | 1 | 2 | — |
| Longford | 83 | 76 | 62 | 18 | 17 | 16 |
| Louth | 114 | 92 | 107 | 18 | 15 | 17 |
| Mayo | 169 | 166 | 169 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Meath | 108 | 86 | 75 | 15 | 13 | 12 |
| Monaghan | 269 | 274 | 250 | 36 | 38 | 38 |
| Offaly | 159 | 125 | 113 | 26 | 22 | 22 |
| Roscommon | 130 | 118 | 78 | 13 | 13 | 9 |
| Sligo | 12 | 24 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Tipperary | 494 | 518 | 487 | 31 | 34 | 35 |
| Tyrone | 49 | 56 | — | 3 | 4 | — |
| Waterford | 125 | 124 | 129 | 14 | 15 | 17 |
| Westmeath | 192 | 148 | 133 | 31 | 25 | 24 |
| Wexford | 217 | 215 | 217 | 21 | 21 | 23 |
| Wicklow | 180 | 189 | 219 | 30 | 31 | 38 |
Local strongholds in 1911
District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where Fitzpatricks made up the largest share of the population. In Grilly, Co. Cavan, about one resident in 7 was a Fitzpatrick.
| DED | County | Fitzpatricks | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grilly | Cavan | 99 | 13.4% |
| Kilconny | Cavan | 79 | 12.0% |
| Milltown | Cavan | 81 | 10.9% |
| Trumra | Laois | 30 | 7.6% |
| Killavinoge | Tipperary | 44 | 7.4% |
| Carn | Cavan | 30 | 7.1% |
| Dunmakeever | Cavan | 46 | 6.7% |
| Carrafin | Cavan | 52 | 6.5% |
Origins
Septs & territories
Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct Fitzpatrick lineages described in the sources.
A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.
Mac Giolla Phádraig of Osraige and Upper Ossory
The kingdom of Osraige (most of Co. Kilkenny and western Laois); later Upper Ossory, in south-west Laois · Kilkenny, Laois
The leading family of the Dál Birn, the ruling line of Osraige, named after King Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada (died 996). Woulfe says they once ruled all of Kilkenny and part of Laois, but after the Anglo-Norman invasion the Butlers and other settlers pressed them back to Upper Ossory. There they kept a Gaelic lordship until their chief became Baron Upper Ossory in 1541.[1][3][8][9]
Fitzpatricks of Clare
Lisdoonvarna and elsewhere in Co. Clare · Clare
Woulfe notes branches of the Ossory family in Clare. Burke records a 1637 funeral entry for Darby Fitzpatrick of Lisdoonvarna, son of Florence, described as descended from the Mac Giolla Phádraig lords of Upper Ossory and bearing the same arms.[1][10]
Fitzpatricks of Cavan and Leitrim
Breifne · Cavan, Leitrim
Woulfe mentions branches of the Ossory family in Cavan and Leitrim. He also suggests that many Cavan Fitzpatricks descend instead from the Ó Maolphádraig family, whose chief appears in a 1602 list of pardons for the county and whose own surname then disappeared.[1][6]
Scottish Mac Giolla Phádraig
Scotland
Woulfe thought there was also a Scottish family of the name, and lists Kirkpatrick and Kilpatrick among its English forms.[1]
The name over time
History
Kings of Osraige
Osraige, anglicised Ossory, was a medieval kingdom covering most of today's Co. Kilkenny, western Laois and part of Tipperary, ruled by the Dál Birn. Its greatest king, Cerball mac Dúnlainge (died 888), won formal independence from Munster in 859. His descendant Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada reigned from 976 until 996, when he was killed fighting the Norse of Waterford and the Déise. Gilla Pátraic's descendants took his name as their surname, Mac Giolla Phádraig, and his son Donnchad, who died in 1039, added the kingship of Leinster in 1033.[3][9][11][5]
The Normans and the retreat to Upper Ossory
Osraige lay in the path of the Anglo-Norman invasion. In 1169 Domnall Mac Giolla Phádraig was defeated by Diarmait Mac Murchada and his Norman allies near Freshford, and he submitted to Henry II in 1171. By the 1190s William Marshal had built Kilkenny Castle and driven the family from their lands along the Nore. Woulfe explains that the Butlers and other English settlers then confined them to Upper Ossory in the north of the old kingdom. Wikipedia describes a long struggle there before the Mac Giolla Phádraigs secured the district, which they held as a Gaelic lordship into the 16th century.[3][1][8]
How Mac Giolla Phádraig became Fitzpatrick
Under Henry VIII's policy of surrender and regrant, Brian Mac Giolla Phádraig submitted to the Crown in 1537 and was created Baron Upper Ossory by patent of 11 June 1541. As part of his submission he took the surname Fitz-Patrick, and Wikipedia says most of the clan followed him. Fitz is Norman French for 'son of', so the new name was a straight translation of the Mac. That is why a Gaelic family carries a name that looks Norman. Wikipedia adds that a few Fitzpatricks may have Anglo-Norman origins in Fitz plus the forename Patrick.[5][12][13][2][1]
Barons and earls of Upper Ossory
The 2nd Baron, Barnaby, was sent to England as a boy as a pledge of his father's loyalty and grew up as the closest companion of the future Edward VI, who corresponded with him while he was in France. He later feuded with the Earl of Ormond. In 1600 Upper Ossory was moved from Kilkenny to Queen's County, now Laois, and after about 1605 the family's lordship effectively ended. The 7th Baron was attainted in 1691. Later Fitzpatricks were created Earls of Upper Ossory and Barons Castletown, the last of whom died in 1937.[14][8][12][5]
Other Fitzpatrick families
Not every Fitzpatrick descends from the Ossory kings. Woulfe records branches of the family in Clare, Cavan and Leitrim. He also describes Ó Maolphádraig, a separate name meaning 'descendant of the devotee of Patrick', once common in Cavan and Cork; it vanished from the records, and he concluded its bearers had probably turned into Fitzpatricks. Wikipedia suggests some unrelated families, possibly including Maguires of Fermanagh, also adopted the name later. Fitzpatrick was sometimes shortened to Patrick.[1][6][2]
Places linked to the name
- Upper Ossory (Osraighe Uachtarach), Co. Laois — The surviving Fitzpatrick lordship in the north of old Ossory, later a barony of Queen's County.[8][1]
- Cullahill Castle, Co. Laois — Principal stronghold of the Mac Giolla Phádraigs of Upper Ossory, built about 1425 and wrecked by Cromwellian guns around 1650.[15][8]
- Jerpoint Abbey (Mainistir Sheireapúin), Co. Kilkenny — Cistercian abbey near Thomastown, founded about 1160 by Domnall Mac Gilla Pátraic.[5]
- Aghaboe, Co. Laois — Early monastery in Osraige, one of the sites Wikipedia lists as closely tied to the family.[5][3]
- Lisdoonvarna (Lios Dúin Bhearna), Co. Clare — Home of a Clare branch descended from the lords of Upper Ossory, recorded by Burke.[10]
Everyday lives
The Fitzpatricks in the census
Who the Fitzpatricks were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.
Fitzpatricks All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the Fitzpatrick bar
Religion, 1911
Irish language
29 Fitzpatricks spoke Irish only in 1901.
Reading & writing
Family life, 1911
Commonest occupations
Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.
| Farmer | 1,833 |
| Farmer's son | 936 |
| Farmer's daughter | 461 |
| Agricultural labourer | 377 |
| Farm servant | 327 |
| General labourer | 314 |
| Labourer | 297 |
| Farm labourer | 202 |
| House keeper | 193 |
| Domestic servant | 186 |
Born outside Ireland
1.6% of Fitzpatricks in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.
| England | 78 |
| Scotland | 37 |
| United States | 31 |
| Australia & NZ | 4 |
| Wales | 2 |
| India | 1 |
Median age: 23 in 1901, 25 in 1911.
Given names
First names among the Fitzpatricks
Men and boys
- John2,078
- Patrick1,621
- James1,295
- Michael1,068
- Thomas1,038
- William662
- Joseph439
- Edward408
- Daniel321
- Peter310
Women and girls
- Mary2,328
- Bridget1,080
- Margaret835
- Ellen635
- Annie536
- Kate523
- Catherine511
- Elizabeth436
- Anne402
- Maggie285
All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, Patrick, James, Michael, Thomas; Mary, Bridget, Margaret, Annie, Ellen.
Spellings
Spellings
This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.
| Spelling | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzpatrick | 10,031 | 9,626 | 7,959 | Search |
Related forms
- FitzPatrick — A spelling with a capital P, used by the later Earls of Upper Ossory and Barons Castletown among others.[12][5]
- MacGilpatrick, MacGillapatrick — Older phonetic forms of Mac Giolla Phádraig, used before the change to Fitzpatrick.[1]
- Kilpatrick, Gilpatrick — Phonetic forms of the same Irish name. Gaois pairs Kilpatrick with Fitzpatrick under Mac Giolla Phádraig.[1][4]
- Kirkpatrick — Listed by Woulfe among the English forms, and associated with the Scottish family of the name.[1]
- Patrick — Sometimes a shortened form of Fitzpatrick.[2]
- Shera, Sheera — From Mac Séartha, a second surname used by the Ossory Fitzpatricks; Woulfe lists Fitzpatrick among its English equivalents.[7]
Diaspora
The Fitzpatricks abroad
Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:
| Spelling | People | US rank |
|---|---|---|
| Fitzpatrick | 40,449 | 852nd |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).
Heraldry
Is there a Fitzpatrick coat of arms?
Arms belong to particular families, not to a surname, so there is no single Fitzpatrick crest. Burke's General Armory records arms for the Lords of Upper Ossory, chiefs of the sept: on black, a silver saltire, with three gold fleurs-de-lis on the chief, and a crest of a lion standing over a dragon. Burke gives the motto 'Ceart laidir a boo' for the barons and 'Fortis sub forte fatiscet' for the later earls. He records the same arms for the Fitzpatricks of Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare.[10][12][5]
Websites selling a single “Fitzpatrick family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.
People
Notable people named Fitzpatrick
- Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic (died 1039) King of Osraige who also took the kingship of Leinster in 1033.
- Barnaby (Brian) Fitzpatrick, 1st Baron Upper Ossory (c. 1478–1575) Last claimant to the kingship of Osraige, made Baron Upper Ossory in 1541.
- Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 2nd Baron Upper Ossory (c. 1535–1581) Soldier raised at Henry VIII's court as the closest companion of Edward VI.
- Brian Mac Giolla Phádraig (c. 1580–1653) Ossory priest and bardic poet who lamented the Cromwellian conquest; killed by Cromwellian forces.
- Richard FitzPatrick (1748–1813) Anglo-Irish soldier, wit and Whig politician who sat in the Commons for 39 years.
- Thomas Fitzpatrick (c. 1799–1854) Cavan-born fur trapper, mountain man and Indian agent in the American West.
- William John Fitzpatrick (1830–1895) Dublin historian and biographer of Bishop Doyle and Lord Cloncurry.
- Thomas Fitzpatrick (1860–1912) Political cartoonist and magazine publisher who signed his work 'Fitz'.
- Sir Percy FitzPatrick (1862–1931) South African author of Jock of the Bushveld, politician and mining financier.
- Jim Fitzpatrick (born 1944) Irish artist known for Celtic-inspired work and the 1968 two-tone portrait of Che Guevara.
- Sean Fitzpatrick (born 1963) New Zealand rugby union hooker and former All Blacks captain.
- Noel Fitzpatrick (born 1967) Veterinary surgeon from Ballyfin, Co. Laois, known for the television series The Supervet.
Questions
Questions about the Fitzpatrick name
Is Fitzpatrick an Irish name?
Yes. Although Fitz looks Norman, Fitzpatrick is overwhelmingly a Gaelic Irish surname. It translates Mac Giolla Phádraig, the name of the royal family of Ossory, whose chief adopted the Fitz form when he submitted to Henry VIII and became Baron Upper Ossory in 1541. Other Gaelic families, such as the Ó Maolphádraig of Cavan, probably took it up too.[1][6][2]
Is Fitzpatrick Norman or Irish?
Mostly Irish. Fitz is Norman French for 'son of', and the great Norman Fitz names, such as FitzGerald, really are Norman. Fitzpatrick is different: the Fitz was a translation of the Gaelic Mac, chosen in the 1530s and 1540s by the Mac Giolla Phádraig lords of Upper Ossory. Wikipedia allows that a few Fitzpatricks may have a genuinely Anglo-Norman origin.[2][5][1]
What is Fitzpatrick in Irish?
Mac Giolla Phádraig, 'son of the servant (devotee) of St Patrick'. In Cavan some Fitzpatricks may instead descend from Ó Maolphádraig, a different name with a similar meaning. Woulfe also records Mac Séartha, 'son of Geoffrey', as a second surname used by the Ossory family.[1][6][7][4]
How do you pronounce Fitzpatrick?
In English it is 'fits-PAT-rik', with the stress on the middle syllable; Wiktionary gives /fɪtsˈpætrɪk/. The Irish form Mac Giolla Phádraig is said roughly 'mok GIL-uh FAW-drig', following the transcription on Wikipedia.[16][2]
Are Fitzpatrick and Kilpatrick the same name?
Often. Both are English forms of Mac Giolla Phádraig: Kilpatrick and Gilpatrick render the Irish by sound, while Fitzpatrick translates the Mac as Fitz. Gaois pairs them under the same Irish name. Woulfe also linked Kirkpatrick and Kilpatrick with a Scottish family of the name, so not every Kilpatrick is from Ossory.[1][4]
Is there a Fitzpatrick family crest or coat of arms?
Not one for every Fitzpatrick. Burke's General Armory records arms for the Lords of Upper Ossory: a silver saltire on black with three gold fleurs-de-lis on the chief, a crest of a lion over a dragon, and the motto 'Ceart laidir a boo'. The later Earls of Upper Ossory used 'Fortis sub forte fatiscet', 'the strong will yield to the strong'. These belonged to the Ossory line.[10][12][5]
Where in Ireland is the Fitzpatrick surname most common?
In the 1911 census the largest numbers of Fitzpatricks lived in Dublin (1,389), Cavan (1,103), Laois (919). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Laois (168 per 10,000), Cavan (121 per 10,000), Carlow (51 per 10,000).
How common was the Fitzpatrick surname in Ireland?
9,626 people were recorded as Fitzpatrick in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 62nd most common surname. That is roughly 0.2% of the population, or 1 person in 457.
Looking for a Fitzpatrick ancestor?
Search every Fitzpatrick household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.
Evidence
Sources
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Giolla Phádraig, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, Fitzpatrick (surname) (2026)
- Wikipedia, Osraige (2026)
- Gaois research group, Dublin City University, Sloinnte: Irish surnames database (version 2) (2022). Cluster 'Giolla Phádraig': Mac Giolla Phádraig; English Fitzpatrick, Kilpatrick.
- Wikipedia, Mac Giolla Phádraig dynasty (2026)
- Patrick Woulfe, Ó Maolphádraig, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Séartha, Mac Séarthaidh, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, Upper Ossory (2026)
- Wikipedia, Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada (2026)
- Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entries 'Fitz-Patrick (Lord Upper Ossory)', '(Earl of Upper Ossory)', '(Lisdoonvarna, co. Clare)' and '(Lord Castletown)'.
- Wikipedia, Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic (2026)
- Wikipedia, Baron Upper Ossory (2026)
- Wikipedia, Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 1st Baron Upper Ossory (2026)
- Wikipedia, Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 2nd Baron Upper Ossory (2026)
- Wikipedia, Cullahill Castle (2026)
- Wiktionary, Fitzpatrick
- Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
How we compile these figures: methodology.