Fitzrovia is a name invented during the Second World War. It takes its name from Fitzroy Square, designed by Robert Adam in the 1790s, which was the centrepiece of a development carried out by Charles Fitzroy, the Duke of Grafton, who was also responsible for the construction of the Euston Road.

Fitzrovia is taken to be the area between Euston Road, Oxford Street, Great Portland Street and Tottenham Court Road. Fitzroy Square, from which the area takes its name, contains Georgian houses which have mainly been converted to offices, but there are a few still in family occupation. Homes in Fitzrovia will generally be flats in the many mansion or modern blocks. In Charlotte Place and Colville Place there are some period houses, but houses in the area are generally modern, such as those in Whitfield Street and Fitzroy Court.