NameCensus.

UK surname

Fitzwater

An English surname referring to the illegitimate son of someone named Water or Walter.

In the 1881 census there were 132 people recorded with the Fitzwater surname, ranking it #16,744 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 208, ranked #19,062, down from #16,744 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Ealing, Chiswick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Central Bedfordshire, Cupar West and Springfield and Richmond upon Thames.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fitzwater is 214 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 57.6%.

1881 census count

132

Ranked #16,744

Modern count

208

2016, ranked #19,062

Peak year

2002

214 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fitzwater had 132 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,744 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 208 in 2016, ranked #19,062.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 193 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Fitzwater surname distribution map

The map shows where the Fitzwater surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Fitzwater surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fitzwater over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 107 #16,402
1861 historical 119 #18,393
1881 historical 132 #16,744
1891 historical 163 #17,300
1901 historical 187 #15,793
1911 historical 193 #15,294
1997 modern 202 #17,514
1998 modern 211 #17,532
1999 modern 213 #17,550
2000 modern 204 #17,987
2001 modern 201 #17,885
2002 modern 214 #17,545
2003 modern 197 #18,311
2004 modern 201 #18,168
2005 modern 203 #17,961
2006 modern 194 #18,627
2007 modern 195 #18,799
2008 modern 203 #18,470
2009 modern 204 #18,779
2010 modern 211 #18,774
2011 modern 199 #19,346
2012 modern 195 #19,540
2013 modern 203 #19,327
2014 modern 203 #19,504
2015 modern 205 #19,269
2016 modern 208 #19,062

Geography

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Where Fitzwaters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Ealing, Chiswick and Hammersmith. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Central Bedfordshire, Cupar West and Springfield, Richmond upon Thames, Hillingdon and Elmbridge. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 Ealing, Chiswick Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
4 Hammersmith London (West Districts)
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Central Bedfordshire 003 Central Bedfordshire
2 Cupar West and Springfield Fife
3 Richmond upon Thames 015 Richmond upon Thames
4 Hillingdon 011 Hillingdon
5 Elmbridge 004 Elmbridge

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fitzwater

These lists show first names that appear often with the Fitzwater surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fitzwater

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Fitzwater, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Fitzwater surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Fitzwater household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Fitzwater is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Fitzwater is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fitzwater falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Fitzwater is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Fitzwater, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Fitzwater

The surname FITZWATER is an old English name that originated in medieval times. It is derived from the Norman French words "fils" meaning son, and "de l'eau" meaning of the water. This suggests the name was likely given to someone who lived near a body of water such as a river or lake.

FITZWATER is thought to have emerged as a surname in England sometime in the 12th or 13th century after the Norman Conquest of 1066. One of the earliest known records of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mentions a Robert Fitz Water.

Over the centuries, the name has had various spellings including Fitzwater, Fitzwalter, Fitz Walter, and Fitzwarin. It is believed some branches of the family adopted the spelling Fitzwarin after a Norman knight named Warin who was granted lands in Shropshire by William the Conqueror.

A notable early bearer of the name was Sir William FitzWarin, Lord of Whittington (1137-1198). He was a powerful Marcher lord with vast estates in Shropshire and played a role in the Third Crusade. Another early example is Walter de Windsor, alias Fitzother or Fitzwalter (c.1170-1198), a prominent courtier under King Richard I.

In the 13th century, the Fitzwaters were an influential family who held the manor of Woughton in Buckinghamshire. Thomas Fitzwater (d.1334) was summoned to Parliament as a baron in 1321. His descendant, Sir John Fitzwater (c.1376-1412), served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1405-1408.

Other historically significant individuals with this surname include Sir William Fitzwater (1460-1536), Treasurer of the Household to King Henry VIII, and Michael Fitzwalter (fl.1670s), an English soldier who served under Prince Rupert during the English Civil War. Elizabeth Fitzwalter (1577-1586) was one of the last surviving legitimate descendants of the Fitzwalter Barons of Woodham Walter.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fitzwater families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fitzwater surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 100 Fitzwaters recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.77x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 100 7.77x
Devon 11 4.10x
Surrey 11 1.75x
Nottinghamshire 5 2.88x
Cheshire 2 0.70x
Essex 2 0.79x
Hertfordshire 1 1.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Twickenham in Middlesex leads with 51 Fitzwaters recorded in 1881 and an index of 923.91x.

Place Total Index
Twickenham 51 923.91x
Hammersmith London 16 50.46x
Chiswick 7 99.57x
Harmondsworth 6 750.00x
Kensington London 5 6.99x
Nottingham St Mary 5 11.14x
Stoke Damerel 5 26.65x
Bow London 3 18.30x
Byfleet 3 535.71x
Laleham 3 1250.00x
Lambeth 3 2.67x
Totnes 3 191.08x
Dodbrooke 2 377.36x
East Molesey 2 136.99x
Hackney London 2 2.77x
Isleworth 2 34.97x
Macclesfield 2 15.84x
St George Hanover 2 11.90x
Acton 1 13.25x
Bermondsey 1 2.61x
Camberwell 1 1.22x
Danbury 1 232.56x
Feltham 1 77.52x
Tormoham 1 8.82x
Walthamstow 1 10.93x
Wandsworth 1 8.07x
Watford 1 14.53x
Westminster St 1 21.05x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Fitzwater surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Eliza 5
Emma 5
Mary 5
Emily 4
Alice 3
Ann 3
Ellen 3
Jane 3
Caroline 2
Elizabeth 2
Harriet 2
Isabel 2
Louisa 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Charlott 1
Clara 1
E.A. 1
Florence 1
H.Lilly 1
Hannah 1
Harriot 1
Helen 1
Hetty 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Margery 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
May 1
Myra 1
Nellie 1
Rose 1
Rosina 1
Sabina 1
Selina 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Fitzwater surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 11
James 7
Charles 6
Henry 6
John 6
Thomas 5
George 3
Richard 3
Arthur 2
Harry 2
Samuel 2
Edward 1
F. 1
Frederick 1
Joseph 1
Lemon 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Fitzwater surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fitzwater surname in 1881?

In 1881, 132 people were recorded with the Fitzwater surname. That placed it at #16,744 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fitzwater surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 208 in 2016. That gives Fitzwater a modern rank of #19,062.

What does the Fitzwater surname mean?

An English surname referring to the illegitimate son of someone named Water or Walter.

What does the Fitzwater map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Fitzwater bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.