Fitts
A surname that is most likely a shortened or altered form related to Fitz- names, with the spelling stabilized in English usage.
The #5,762 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 51,338 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is not securely explained by the excerpts, but it appears to be tied to the common medieval prefix Fitz-, from Norman French fils meaning "son." In English surnames, that prefix often became fixed in forms like Fitzwilliam, and Fitts may reflect a shortened or simplified spelling that preserved the sound. Another possibility is that it began as a surname from another source and was later influenced by the familiar Fitz- pattern, so the exact origin should be treated cautiously.
History
The name shows up in English-language surname lists as a recognizable variant alongside Fitz and other Fitz- forms. In America it remains uncommon, but the spelling is established enough to have survived as an independent surname rather than only as a nickname or transcription. The historical excerpts suggest that writers noticed the resemblance between Fitz- names and Fitts, but they do not prove a single definitive origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century writer even remarked that Fitz- names could invite the unintendedly comic form Fitts, showing how closely the spellings were perceived.
From the historical record
“or Fitz-WiUiam sounds well enough, but Fitz suggested the in- evitable vulgarism of Fitts (t. Digitized by”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)