Scottish names vs. English or Irish

[MacSimoin]

"Fitz" actually means "illegitimate son of." A bastard son of a Norman king would gain the name "FitzRoy"....

The origins, meaning and usage of the prefix Fitz sparks debate even to this day. However, though no offense is intended, I feel the post quoted above is a presumptive and generalized statement. Allow me to clarify this: Regarding my own lengthy research into the etymology of the surnames of and place names in Ireland, I've come to find the earliest known use of Fitz (as part of a compound surname) was in the Roy (Roi, from France) family of England; they produced an illegitimate heir to the crown who eventually became known as Fils de Roi (Anglicized as Fitz Roy). The use of the French word fils (meaning son and not son of) in England was sometimes used afterwards to describe a "bastard son" (though this was not always the case).

The definition found in this posted link is a little closer to the truth:

http://www.question.com/dictionary/fitz.html

For those in Ireland (after the Norman invasions), “Fitz” is historically recognized as simply meaning “son of” (properly, illegitimacy is never inferred with any Norman-Irish patronym). The linguisitic inference of 'mc' in Ireland (to denote son of) can be traced back in Ireland to before the time of Christ (re, the Annals of Ireland, Annals of Ulster, Annals of Connacht and Annals of Loch Ce) though it was not used or attached as a prefix in any Irish patronym until after 1000 AD (surname use began here around this time).

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