The surname Fitzhugh saw peak usage as a first name in the U.S. in 1898, according to the U.S. baby name data:
- 1900: 9 baby boys named Fitzhugh
- 1899: 6 baby boys named Fitzhugh
- 1898: 28 baby boys named Fitzhugh (peak usage)
- 1897: 6 baby boys named Fitzhugh
- 1896: unlisted
Many people born before 1937 never applied for a Social Security card, though, so the earliest decades of the SSA data tend to under-count actual usage. Data from the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) — which reveals a similar spike in 1898 — suggests that the overall popularity of Fitzhugh was a bit higher during that era:
- 1900: 20 people named Fitzhugh
- 1899: 30 people named Fitzhugh
- 1898: 152 people named Fitzhugh
- 1897: 24 people named Fitzhugh
- 1896: 14 people named Fitzhugh
So what was drawing attention to the name Fitzhugh in 1898 specifically?
A diplomat named Fitzhugh Lee.
Fitzhugh Lee — like his uncle, Robert E. Lee — served as a Confederate general during the Civil War. Several decades later, he served as the governor of Virginia (1886-1890). Despite these high-profile roles, it wasn’t until later in his life that “he became a national hero.”
In 1896, Lee was was appointed U.S. Consul General in Havana by president Grover Cleveland.
His unabashed and well-publicized support of Cuban independence and “his vigorous defense of American citizens and business interests on the island” did not endear him to Cuba’s Spanish rulers, but did make him very popular at home.
In February of 1898, the USS Maine exploded (under mysterious circumstances) in Havana Harbor. Fitzhugh Lee finally left the island on April 9. He was the last American to evacuate before the U.S. declared war on Spain on April 25.
The reception of General Lee, upon his return from Havana, was a spontaneous popular endorsement of his services in Cuba, and a splendid tribute to his worth and ability as a man and an American. His progress from Key West to Washington was an almost continuous ovation. All along the route the people by thousands greeted him at each stopping place, and showered upon him their congratulations and tokens of admiration.
What are your thoughts on the name Fitzhugh?
Sources:
- Fitzhugh Lee (1835-1905) – Encyclopedia Virginia
- “Fitzhugh Lee.” Winslow Mail 30 Apr. 1898: 1.
- “Yankee Fitz Lee.” Topeka State Journal, third ed., 12 Apr. 1898: 1.
- SSA