FitzPatrick ~ Mac Giolla Phádraig

The Story of the FitzPatrick Name

FitzPatrick is an unusual Irish surname because, despite its Norman-sounding Fitz prefix, it is actually Gaelic in origin. It comes from the Irish Mac Giolla Phádraig, meaning “son of the devotee of St. Patrick.” The name Giolla Phádraig was borne by a tenth-century king of Ossory, and his descendants eventually adopted it as their family name.

The Mac Giolla Phádraig became the ruling dynasty of Ossory, an ancient Gaelic kingdom corresponding broadly to County Kilkenny and parts of County Laois. After the Anglo-Norman arrival, they lost much of their territory but retained their position in Upper Ossory, in what is now northern Laois.

In the sixteenth century, the family adopted the English form Fitzpatrick, replacing the Gaelic Mac with the Norman-French Fitz, meaning “son of.” This makes FitzPatrick a remarkable example of an ancient Gaelic family adopting a more English-sounding name while preserving its connection to its Irish ancestry.

Behind the familiar name FitzPatrick lies the story of one of Ireland's old royal families. From the kings of Ossory to the generations who carried Mac Giolla Phádraig and FitzPatrick through centuries of change, the name preserves a remarkable connection to St. Patrick, Gaelic kingship, and the ancient landscape of Kilkenny and Laois.