Gender: Male
Origin: Celtic "Fitz" & English "William"
Meaning: "son of William"
Nicknames: No common nicknames but Fitz and Will could be used.
Regency Popularity: Not often used as a first name, as a surname it would have been more popular among the Irish.
Jane Austen Usage:
- Pride and Prejudice - Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, hero of the story. His first name is given because it's his mother's maiden name.
- Pride and Prejudice - Colonel Fitzwilliam, cousin to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Nephew to Lady Anne Darcy and Lady Catherine De Bourgh, his father is their brother and said to be an Earl which explains why the sisters still retain the title of "Lady".
Fitz is not Celtic; it's Norman French. It arrived in Ireland with Norman conquerors. It's a cognate of "fils", the modern French word for "son".
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