Fitzmaurice — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Mac Muiris
Meaning: 'son of Maurice'
Traditional stronghold: Kerry
Pronunciation: fitz-MORR-iss; Irish Mac Muiris: mok MWIR-ish
History of the Fitzmaurice name
The Fitzmaurices were the great Anglo-Norman lords of north Kerry, Barons of Kerry and Lixnaw from the 13th century, kin to the Geraldine earls of Desmond and deeply gaelicised, patronising Irish poets who addressed their chief as Mac Muiris. Their long lordship from Lixnaw on the River Brick made the name synonymous with north Kerry, where it remains concentrated between Listowel and Tralee. The senior line rose in the peerage to become Earls of Kerry, and through marriage their heir became the Marquess of Lansdowne; one of that line, William Petty-Fitzmaurice, was the British prime minister who conceded American independence in 1783. Later bearers gave the name to aviation history, Kerry folk drama and modern poetry.
Variants: FitzMaurice · Fitzmorris · MacMorris
Famous bearers of the name
- James Fitzmaurice — Irish Air Corps officer on the Bremen, which made the first east-west transatlantic flight in 1928.
- George Fitzmaurice — North Kerry playwright of strange folk dramas such as The Dandy Dolls, belatedly recognised as a master.
- Gabriel Fitzmaurice — Poet and teacher of Moyvane, Co. Kerry, prolific in both English and Irish.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Sullivan · O'Connor · McCarthy · O'Connell · Fitzgerald · O'Shea · Griffin · Kelleher