Fitzgerald — Mac Gearailt | Meaning, Origin & Irish Heritage

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The surname Fitzgerald is the anglicised form of the Irish Mac Gearailt — meaning “son of Gerald”. Fitzgerald is a Hiberno-Norman surname — it came to Ireland with the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169-70 rather than from a native Gaelic source.^[1]

Meaning & Etymology

Fitzgerald is a Hiberno-Norman surname — it came to Ireland with the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169-70 rather than from a native Gaelic source.^[1]

The name is a patronymic built from the Old French ‘Fitz’ (son of) and the Germanic personal name Gerald.^[2]

In Irish the family adopted the Gaelic form Mac Gearailt (‘son of Gerald’). Despite their Norman origin, the Fitzgeralds became one of the most powerful and most Irish-identifying families in Ireland.

Historical Fitzgerald Septs

There is rarely a single family behind a major Irish surname. Edward MacLysaght — the gold-standard source for Irish surname history — identifies distinct historical septs that all anglicised to Fitzgerald, often with no kinship to one another.^[2]

The FitzGeralds of Kildare

The senior line — the Earls of Kildare — held Kildare and the surrounding Pale from the 12th century. Under ‘Silken Thomas’ Fitzgerald (1513-1537) they led the last great Gaelic-Norman rebellion against Henry VIII. The family seat at Maynooth Castle became one of the centres of medieval Irish power.^[1][2]

The FitzGeralds of Desmond

A parallel branch — the Earls of Desmond — held Kerry and west Cork. At their peak they were effectively independent kings of south-west Ireland. The last Earl of Desmond, Gerald FitzGerald, led the Desmond Rebellion of 1579-1583 and was killed after being hunted through the Kerry mountains by Elizabethan forces.^[1][2]

The Knights of Glin, Kerry, and the White Knight

Three hereditary FitzGerald knighthoods — the Knight of Glin, the Knight of Kerry, and the White Knight — are among the oldest continuously-held Gaelic-Norman titles in Europe. The Knight of Glin held Glin Castle in Limerick until the 21st century.^[1][2]

Famous Bearers

• Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond (c. 1533-1583) — led the Desmond Rebellion against Elizabeth I and was killed in Kerry.
• Thomas ‘Silken Thomas’ FitzGerald (1513-1537) — led the 1534 Kildare Rebellion, executed at Tyburn.
• Edward FitzGerald — United Irishman and aristocratic leader of the 1798 Rebellion.
• F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) — American novelist (The Great Gatsby); Irish-American descent.
• John F. Kennedy’s mother was Rose Fitzgerald, granddaughter of a Limerick emigrant and daughter of Boston mayor ‘Honey Fitz’ Fitzgerald.
• Garret FitzGerald — Taoiseach of Ireland (1981-82, 1982-87), architect of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

Spelling Variants & Anglicisations

Over centuries of anglicisation, translation, and emigration, the Fitzgerald name has taken many forms in English and Irish:

• Fitzgerald · FitzGerald · Fitz-Gerald · Fitz Gerald
• Gerald (rare short form)
• Mac Gearailt (Irish)

Where to Visit if Your Name is Fitzgerald

If you carry the Fitzgerald name and want to walk the ground your ancestors once held, here are the regions of Ireland that are your strongest historical anchors:

• Maynooth, County Kildare — the ancestral seat of the FitzGeralds of Kildare. Visit Maynooth Castle (open to visitors) and St Patrick’s College.
• The Dingle Peninsula (Kerry) — heart of the FitzGerald Desmond country. Visit Desmond Castle in Adare, the ruined Askeaton Castle, and the Dingle Peninsula itself where the last Earl of Desmond was hunted.
• Glin Castle (Limerick) — held by the Knights of Glin — a FitzGerald knighthood — for 700 years. Visit the castle grounds and the tomb of the last Knight, Desmond FitzGerald, who died in 2011.

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Sources

1. Wikipedia: Wikipedia (en) — consolidated etymology and modern rank [link]
2. Maclysaght: MacLysaght, Edward. Irish Families: Their Names, Arms and Origins. 1957, Hodges Figgis. The standard scholarly reference on the origin and distribution of Irish surnames.

All facts above are sourced from the named references listed above. Page last verified April 2026.

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