Fitzhugh is an English Anglo-Norman surname originating in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. It is patronymic as the prefix Fitz - derives from the Latin filius, meaning "son of". Its variants include FitzHugh, Fitz-Hugh, Fitz Hugh, fitz Hugh, and its associated given name turned surname Hugh.

The surname Fitzhugh was first found in Yorkshire where it is generally believed that this name claims descent from a feudal chief named Bardolph, who was Lord of Ravensworth, shortly after the Conquest. Another early entry was found in Gloucestershire in 1344, when John Fitz Huwe was mentioned in the Calendar Post Inquisitions.

The Fitzhugh family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Fitzhugh families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 47 Fitzhugh families living in Virginia. This was about 54% of all the recorded Fitzhugh's in USA. Virginia had the highest population of Fitzhugh families in 1840.

The surname Fitzhugh derives from the prefix ‘fils du’, for ‘son of’ in Norman French, and Hugh, the first of our ancestors known to us. His son Richard Fitzhugh was the first of our line to choose to have a constant family surname, a custom that began in England in the 13th Century.