Darkey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Darkey

What does the name Darkey 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 Darkey 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 Darkey family

The surname Darkey 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 Darkey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Darkey 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 Darkey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Darkey Spelling Variations

Scribes and church officials, lacking today's standardized spelling rules, recorded names by how they were pronounced. This imprecise guide often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Darkey are preserved in documents of the family history. The various spellings of the name that were found include Dorcey, Dorcy, Dorsey, Darcey, D'Arcy, O'Dorcey, MacDarcy, Darsy and many more.

Early Notables of the Darkey family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Sir John D'Arcy, chief Governor of Ireland under Kings Edward I, II, III (14th century); Patrick Darcy (1598-1668) a...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Darkey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Darkey family

Ireland saw an enormous decrease in its population in the 19th century due to immigration and death. This pattern of immigration began slowly in the late 18th century and gradually grew throughout the early portion of the 19th century. However, a dramatic increase in the country's immigration numbers occurred when the Great Potato Famine struck in the 1840s. The early immigrants to North America were primarily destined to be farmers tending to their own plot of land, those that came later initially settled within pre-established urban centers. These urban immigrants provided the cheap labor that the fast developing United States and soon to be Canada required. Regardless of their new lifestyle in North America, the Irish immigrants to the United States and Canada made invaluable contributions to their newly adopted societies. An investigation of immigrant and passenger lists revealed many Darkeys: Edward Dorsey, who came to Virginia in 1646; Michael Darcy, who settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767; George Darcy, who was living in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1774.

Contemporary Notables of the name Darkey (post 1700) +

Charley Darkey Parkhurst (1812-1879), born Mary Parkhurst, American stagecoach driver and early California settler, who having posed as a man for most of her life, may have been the first woman in the U.S. to vote

The Darkey Motto +

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.