| ![Show Contents]() Darcy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of DarcyWhat does the name Darcy mean? Gaelic is at the heart of all the Irish surnames that can be found throughout the world today. The original Gaelic form of the name Darcy is "O'Dorchaidhe," from the word "dorcha," which means "dark." Alternatively, some branches of the family may be descended from Norman stock; the name is also derived from "Arcy," the name of a place in La Manche, Normandy. In this case, the surname would refer to "one from Arcy." Early Origins of the Darcy familyThe surname Darcy was first found in Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from ancient times. Early History of the Darcy familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Darcy research. Another 338 words (24 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1334, 1384, 1598, 1668, 1725 and 1779 are included under the topic Early Darcy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Darcy Spelling VariationsThe search for the origins of the name Darcy family name revealed numerous spelling variations. These variants can be somewhat accounted for when it is realized that before widespread literacy people only recognized their name by pronunciation; it was up to scribes to decide how it was to be formally recorded. Variations found include Dorcey, Dorcy, Dorsey, Darcey, D'Arcy, O'Dorcey, MacDarcy, Darsy and many more. Early Notables of the Darcy familyNotable amongst the family name at this time was - Patrick Darcy (1598-1668) a member of the Supreme Council of the Confederation of Kilkenny
Darcy RankingIn the United States, the name Darcy is the 13,816th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Darcy is ranked the 5,685th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2
| Darcy migration to the United States | + |
Thousands of Irish left in their homeland in the 18th and 19th centuries to escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, and in the search of a plot of land to call their own. These immigrants arrived at the eastern shores of North America, early on settling and breaking the land, and, later, building the bridges, canals, and railroads essential to the emerging nations of United States and Canada. Many others would toil for low wages in the dangerous factories of the day. Although there had been a steady migration of Irish to North America over these years, the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Darcy or a variant listed above:
Darcy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Richard Darcy, who landed in Maryland in 1637 3
- Eliz Darcy, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 3
- Thomas Darcy, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 3
- Bartho Darcy, who landed in Virginia in 1697 3
Darcy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- John Darcy, who arrived in Virginia in 1715 3
- Michael Darcy, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767 3
Darcy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Robert Darcy, who arrived in New York in 1839 3
- John Darcy, who settled in New York in 1850
- Bridget D'Arcy, who was on record in Illinois in 1853
- Daniel Darcy, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 3
| Darcy migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Darcy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- George Darcy, who was living in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1774 4
Darcy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Anne Darcy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1812
- Edward Darcy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1831
- Honora Darcy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1832
- Mrs. Johanna Darcy, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Scotland" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 5
- Mrs. Judith Darcy, aged 50 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec but died on Grosse Isle on June 16th, 1847 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Darcy migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Darcy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Patrick Darcy, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
- Mr. Andrew Darcy, (b. 1749), aged 53, Irish labourer who was convicted in Wexford, Ireland for lif for murder, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 30th May 1802, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
- Mr. John Darcy, (Gibbs, William), English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 30th September 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 7
- Margaret D'Arcy, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Eliza" in 1849 8
- Patrick D'Arcy, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Eliza" in 1849 8
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Darcy (post 1700) | + |
- Major-General Thomas Connell Darcy (1910-1998), American Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans & Programs (1957) 9
- Thomas Francis Darcy (1932-2000), American Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist
- Paul F. Darcy, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Swansea, 1922 10
- P. H. D'Arcy, American politician, Mayor of Salem, Oregon, 1891-92 10
- John L. D'Arcy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Erie County 7th District, 1936, 1937 10
- Jo Anne Darcy (b. 1931), American Republican politician, Mayor of Santa Clarita, California, 1991, 1995, 1999-2000 10
- James A. D'Arcy, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1972 10
- James Darcy, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Kings County 4th District, 1860-63 10
- Brian E. Darcy, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Rules Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 10
- Michael D'Arcy (1934-2024), Irish Fine Gael politician, Minister of State, Fisheries and Forestry (1982-1986), Agriculture (1981-1982)
- ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Historic Events for the Darcy family | + |
- Cornelius Darcy (d. 1945), British Petty Officer Cook (S) aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 11
- Mr. John Darcy, English First Waiter from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 12
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Un dieu, un roi
Motto Translation: One God, one king.
- "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)
- Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
- Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 23)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ELIZA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Eliza.htm
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 10) Thomas Darcy. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Darcy/Thomas_Connell/USA.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
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