Fitzwater
A surname that began as a Norman-style family name, originally meaning “son of Walter.”
The #8,155 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,933 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Fitzwater is an Anglo-Norman surname built from Old French fitz, meaning “son of,” and the personal name Walter. In that sense, it literally means “son of Walter.” The first element is the same one found in many Norman surnames such as FitzGerald and Fitzwilliam.
History
The name was carried into England after the Norman Conquest and appears in medieval aristocratic usage. The excerpt notes that the family was sometimes wrongly treated as Anglo-Saxon, but that its origin was in fact Norman/French. The surname survives today as an inherited family name, especially in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because fitz was a Norman way of saying “son of,” surnames like Fitzwater often look unusual but are structurally similar to the more familiar Johnson or Wilson.
From the historical record
“the great barony of the Baynards in Essex. The name wa? frequently written Fitzwater. ritzwllllam. This f.miily ha.? been supposed, but erroneously, to be of Angl<>Saxcn origin. It was of Flenii-h origin, and derived it;*”
— The Norman People and their existing descendants in the British dominions and the United States