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Mace History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Mace History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Mace

What does the name Mace mean?

The surname Mace came to England as a result of the Norman Conquest in 1006. The name is derived from Macé or La Ferté-Macé, a place name in Orne, France, having derived from the Old French for the Christian name Matthew 1 2 or Mathieu 3 and also meant "a staff borne as an ensign of office." 4

Early Origins of the Mace family

The surname Mace was first found in Normandy, France where William de Mes held lands (1180-1195) according to the source (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae) 5

Early English rolls show the first entry in Bedfordshire where Richard Mace was recorded in 1229. A few years later in 1236 at Oseney (or Osney) Abbey in Oxfordshire, the singular name "Mace" with no forename was recorded in 1236. "Mace, now represented in Chipping Norton, was an Oxfordshire name in the reign of Edward I." 6

London records show Perotus de Mace there in 1319 and later in Colchester, Essex William Mace was listed in 1372. 7

Masse is recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk in 1177 and in 1194 Osbert Masse is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk. The Curia Regis Rolls of Middlesex contain a reference to John de Maci in 1221 and Adam Mace of Oxfordshire and William Mace of Co. Buckinghamshire are recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 8

Closely related to the Massey surname, the origins of both names are closely intertwined.

Early History of the Mace family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mace research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1353, 1583, 1592, 1609, 1612, 1636, 1644, 1672, 1676, 1706, 1727, 1729 and 1753 are included under the topic Early Mace History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mace Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Mace, Macey, Massey and others.

Early Notables of the Mace family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Mace (c.1612-1706), an English lutenist, viol player, singer, composer and musical theorist, best known for his work "Musick's Monument" (1676.) Mace lived at Cambridge, and was one of the cler...
Daniel Mace (died ca. 1753) was an English textual critic of the New Testament. He was probably a native of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, and was one of a family of thirteen children. He became Presby...

Mace World Ranking

In the United States, the name Mace is the 2,874^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 9 However, in France, the name Mace is ranked the 351^st most popular surname with an estimated 11,592 people with that name. 10

Mace migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Mace or a variant listed above:

Mace Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jon Mace, who landed in Virginia in 1633 11
Mr. John Mace, aged 20, from England who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "America" arriving in June 1635 11
Rowland Mace, who arrived in Maryland in 1641 11
Gilbert Mace, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 11
William Mace, who landed in Virginia in 1656 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mace Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Mace, who arrived in New England in 1730 11

Mace Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexandre Constant Macy Mace, aged 34, who arrived in Missouri in 1849 11
William Mace, who landed in Iroquois County, Illinois in 1886 11
John B Mace, who arrived in Mississippi in 1887 11

Mace migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mace Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Sister Catherine Mace, who arrived in Montreal in 1659

Mace migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Mace Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Mace, (b. 1811), aged 24, British Farm Labourer who was convicted in Derby, England for 7 years for stealing clothing, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 12
Miss Matilda Mace who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 4th September 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Mr. Thomas Mace, English convict who was convicted in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England for 6 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia

Mace migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Mace Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Walter MacE, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Amos Mace, aged 36, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Catherine Mace, aged 36, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Reuben Mace, aged 14, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Levy Mace, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mace migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Mace Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Miss Alice Mace, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 15

Contemporary Notables of the name Mace (post 1700) +

Nancy Ruth Mace (b. 1977), American businesswoman and the author of "In the Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel"
James E. Mace (1952-2004), American historian and professor
Fred Mace (1878-1917), American silent era actor who appeared in 156 films between 1909 and 1916
Lennie Mace (b. 1965), American contemporary artist from New York City, predominantly known for his drawings in ballpoint pen
Brigadier-General Harold Loring Mace (1907-1946), American Commanding Officer of the 46th Bombardment Group (1943) 16
Paul Mace (1950-1983), American actor, perhaps best known for his role as Wimpy Murgalo in the movie The Lords of Flatbush
Myles La Grange Mace (1911-2000), American professor at the Harvard Business School
Daniel Mace (1811-1867), American politician, U.S. Representative from Indiana
Francis Borden Mace (b. 1920), American movie producer
C. Ross Mace, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 1896, 1908, 1912 (alternate) 17
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Mace family +

USS Indianapolis

Harold A. Mace (1928-1996), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he survived the sinking 18

Citations +

Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 11) Harold Mace. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Mace/Harold_Loring/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew