Topics

• About the Fitz-henry One-Name Study
• Origin of the surname
• Historical occurrences
• Frequency of the name
• DNA project
• Links
• Contact Details

About the Fitz-henry One-Name Study

The Fitz(-)Henry one-name study covers the Fitz-Henry and Fitzhenry names where-ever they are found in the world. The presence of the hyphen is variable within families and even in the life records of an individual, although it is more common in the older records. Both variants of the name are given equal standing in this study.

My study started in earnest in 2002. Since then I've met lots of lovely family history researchers from all over the world who have given me lots of help and information. This one-name study is a way of saying 'thank you' to all those people and hope that I can pass on the information that I have gathered to another generation of Fitz(-)Henry researchers.

Most of us hit a wall with our ancestors at some time. If you have a Fitz(-)Henry in your tree and want to know more, please contact me (details below). If you want to let me know about your Fitz(-)Henry ancestors, then please drop me a line - it may be someone that I've hit the wall with! All queries are answered - I can't guarantee to have the information you are looking for, but I may be able to pass you on to someone who does.

Origin of the surname

Fitz(-)Henry is of Norman origin, originally found in England and Wales in the 12th century. It is patronymic meaning 'son of Henry', either by legitimate or illegitimate birth. Noblemen would acknowledge illegitimate sons by these means. Popular legend says that all Fitz(-)Henrys are descended from Henry 1 of England by his mistress Nesta of Pembroke. However Henry was also reputed to have 20 illegitimate children by various women.

There are further true patronymic uses of the name spontaneously arising in later records so it is unlikely that there is one true 'common ancestor'.

Norman/Platagenet nobles took the name to Ireland in the 12th century with the invasion of Ireland by the English in .

With the creation of the British Empire, the name spread to all parts of the globe with a British influence. There were/are branches in India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.

There is a Fitzhenry presence in the United States of America. The largest family tree is descended from Enoch Fitzhenry, a legendary figure who was allegedly captured by pirates and taken from Ireland to the USA in the 1780s. There are also smaller Fitzhenry trees derived from the Irish diaspora in the 19th century.

Historical occurrences

The name isn't at the forefront of history but noted Fitz(-)Henrys past and present include:

Louis FH - (1870-1935) elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-third Congress (1913-15) and district judge for the southern district of Illinois (1918-1933) (USA)

Charlotte FH (Robling) - journalist and photographer for the AP news agency (USA)

Daniel FH - Rugby league star, currently playing for Hull Kingston Rovers (Australia and England)

Joseph FH - noted art dealer and major benefactor of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England in the late 19th century (England)

Russell FH - cricketer (South Africa)

Robert FH - co-founder of the publishing house Fitzhenry and Whiteside in 1966 (Canada)

Frequency of the name

The following data has been extracted from the Surname profiler project for the National Trust. Both variants of the surname are analysed together as FITZHENRY. http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/

1881 census England and Wales

96 instances of the name (4 occurrences per million population) Surname rank 18,427

1998 Great Britain (England, Wales, Scotland but not Northern Ireland)

224 instances of the name (6 occurrences per million population) Surname rank 15,628

The highest frequency of the name was in the Warrington area.

The ethnicity is (not surprisingly) mostly British with a couple of surprises:

British or unknown 98.80

---English or unknown 96.4

---Irish 1.20

---Scottish 0.40

---Welsh 0.80

Hungarian 0.40

Italian 0.40

Other Muslim 0.40

DNA project

The Fitz(-)Henry ONS Y-DNA project was launched on 12 May 2008. The testing company is FamilyTreeDNA. Are you a male Fitz(-)Henry who is considering having your DNA tested? Get it done at mate's rates through our project!

Links

My blog about my Fitz(-)Henry research is here at:http://fitz-henry.blogspot.com

and here's the Y-DNA study homepage: http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Fitz-Henry#surnames

Contact details

For further information, contact:

Dr Jo Fitz-Henry
1 Esher Grove,
Nottingham
NG3 5DR
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail:

This page last updated 12 May 2008.

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