The Fitzpatrick Clan Society
Membership of The Fitzpatrick Clan Society is free and open to anyone aged 18 years or older who has a family association to the surname Fitzpatrick. The Society exists to promote, foster and facilitate Clan spirit, diversity, friendship and networking amongst Clan members. It encourages and promotes the study and preservation of the history, folklore, and traditions of Fitzpatricks and it at the cutting edge of genealogical research into Fitzpatricks. The Society provides support and resources to Clan members seeking to understand their Fitzpatrick roots and connections.
We are Fitzpatricks. We have genetic diversity, we have various Irish homelands, we have narratives too many to number and we have mysteries yet to be uncovered. We are Mac Giolla Phádraig and we are Ó Maol Phádraig and we are the yet to be discovered. We are the children of great Irish ancestors who have gone before us. We are proud, we are strong, we are one under the same name, and our hearts are for each other. Our motto is ‘Chun Freastal, Chun Leanúint’, which means, ‘To Serve, to Follow’.
Welcome to the Fitzpatrick One-Name Study
The purpose of this Guild of One-Name Studies website is to provide a repository of all Fitzpatrick genealogical data with access to all via the TNG platform.
There are more than 100,000 Fitzpatricks living in the world today and the vast majority trace their ancestors to Ireland. However, Fitzpatricks are both geographically and genetically diverse, a fact attested to by there being five large DNA groups and numerous other small and genetically unconnected Fitzpatrick clusters.
Fitzpatricks are found in considerable numbers all over Ireland; for example at the time of the 1901 Ireland census they numbered greater than 50 members in all but three counties (Derry, Donegal and Sligo). The top five most populous counties for Fitzpatricks in the 1901 Ireland census were: Co. Cavan, Co. Laois, Co. Dublin, Co. Down, and Co. Cork.
And, although mostly haplotype L21, male Fitzpatricks demonstrate great genetic diversity, which indicates they do not descend from one ancient patriarch. However, there is strong evidence from the DNA study that both Bréifne and Leinster Fitzpatricks derive their surnames from some form of Pátraic patronym at the dawn of surname use in Ireland, ca. 1000 AD.
At this site you will be able to search for all Fitzpatricks in the database, or narrow your searches according to various Fitzpatrick lineages in the tree selection menu:
For Fitzpatricks of Co. Cavan, Co. Longford, Co. Leitrim etc. select 'Bréifne Fitzpatricks'. This group is linked to the DNA project and is predominantly haplotype FGC11134…BY12234, but there are also other 'Bréifne Fitzpatricks' identified as L513…BY2630.
For Fitzpatricks of Co. Down and Co. Louth select either 'Leinster Fitzpatricks'. Note that Co.Down Fitzpatricks have their pre-1600 AD origins in Leinster and, with their Co. Louth cousins, this group is linked to the DNA project being haplotype Z255…BY2849, i.e., Irish Sea or Leinster Irish.
For Fitzpatricks of Co. Kilkenny, Co. Tipperary, Co. Laois etc. select 'Ossory Fitzpatricks'. This group is linked to the DNA project and is they are haplotype FGC5494…A1488.
For Fitzpatricks of Co. Clare, Co. Cork and Co. Kerry etc. select 'Munster Fitzpatricks'. This group is linked to the DNA project and is they are haplotype FGC11134…CTS4466, i.e., Irish Type II.
This site is a work in progress. If you spot something that isn't right, or if you'd like to add your Fitzpatricks to the database, please contact us.
The Fitzpatrick DNA Project
The Fitzpatrick DNA project is hosted at Family Tree DNA.
The aim of the project is to help Fitzpatricks find recent family connections using Y-DNA (males) and autosomal DNA (males and females).
The project has found that while most Fitzpatricks are members of the Large Celtic haplogroup known as L21, Fitzpatricks are genetically diverse; there are several major groups that are unconnected within the timeframe of the adoption of surnames as well as numerous small groups and individuals.
Hence, the project also has a focus on uncovering the older roots of Fitzpatricks and the connections they had not only with other Irish Clans, but also those whose deeper origins are with Normans or Germanic tribespeople etc.
Aligning the results of the DNA study with historical records and genealogies has enabled some of these larger genetic groups to also be defined by geographic location. They are Fitzpatrick of Counties Tipperary, Kilkenny and Laois (FGC5494…A1488), Fitzpatrick of Bréifne (FGC11134…BY12234 and L513…BY2630), and Fitzpatrick of Iveagh and Newry, Co. Kildare and Co. Louth (Z255…BY2849), and Fitzpatrick of Munster (FGC11134…CTS4466).
In addition to the five larger groups mentioned, there are many smaller genetic groups that include haplotypes R-L513, R-M222, R-U106, I-M223 and J-M172. The L513 group is particularly interesting because it is strongly associated with the surname Maguire and, therefore, may represent descendants of Gilla Phádraig of Fermanagh of the Maguires.