Lacy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Lacy

What does the name Lacy mean?

Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames when the Strongbownians arrived. Often the two traditions blended together quite well due to some of their basic similarities, but the incoming Anglo-Norman system brought in some forms that were uncommon amongst the Irish. One of these Anglo-Norman anomalies was the prevalence of local surnames, such as Lacy. Local names were taken from the names of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. Originally, the place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname if the place name began with a vowel or was eliminated entirely. The local surnames of these Strongbownian invaders referred to places in Normandy, or more typically England, but eventually for those Anglo-Normans that remained in Ireland, the nicknames referred to places or geographical features of the island: they became true local names. The Lacy family appears to have originally lived in the settlement of Lassy in the region called Calvados in northern France. The name of this place is derived from the Gaulish personal name Lascius, which is of uncertain origin, and the local suffix -acum. The Gaelic form of the surname Lacy is de Léis. However, there is a native Irish family of County Wexford named Ó Laitheasa who anglicize their surname as Lacy. This name, which was originally Ó Flaithgheasa, is derived from the Gaelic word flaith, which means prince. 1 This was, in most cases, a nickname applied to someone with princely manners or a regal bearing.

Early Origins of the Lacy family

The surname Lacy was first found in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they had been granted lands by Strongbow after the invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Lacy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lacy research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1298 is included under the topic Early Lacy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lacy Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes spelled names as they sounded; therefore, single person, could have his name spelt many different ways during their lifetime. While investigating the origins of the name Lacy, many spelling variations were encountered, including: Lacey, Lacie, Lacy, de Lacy, Lasey, Lassey and many more.

Early Notables of the Lacy family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

Hugo de Lacy of Limerick, as well as Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, who was recorded on the Falkirk Roll, a list of those at the battle of Falkirk (July 22 1298), when the forces of Edward I defeated...

Lacy Ranking

In the United States, the name Lacy is the 1,263^rd most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 2

Lacy migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Lacy:

Lacy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Lacy, aged 18, who settled in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas & John"
Rich Lacy, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 3
Win Lacy, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 3
Eliza Lacy, who landed in Virginia in 1649 3
James Lacy, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lacy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Lacy, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 3
Prissela Lacy, who landed in Virginia in 1719 3
John Lacy, who landed in Virginia in 1723 3

Lacy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Lacy, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
George Lacy, who arrived in New York in 1818 3
William Lacy, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 3
Ed Lacy, aged 33, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1852 3
Lawrence, Michael, Nicholas, Patrick, Peter and William Lacy all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lacy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lacy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. James Lacy U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harbour, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 4
Mr. William Lacy U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John West], New Brunswick, Canada c. 1784 4

Lacy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Richard Lacy, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Margaret" from London, England
Abel Lacy, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Margaret" from London, England
Edward Lacy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1834
Margaret Lacy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1835
Mr. Henry Lacy, (b. 1836), aged 19, English labourer, from Merriott, Somerset, England, UK departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, he survived the sinking 5

Lacy migration to Australia +

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

Lacy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Ann Lacy who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 20th November 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia and Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Bernard Lacy, a weaver, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. Andrew Lacy, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
John Lacy, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Bruce" in 1846 8
Mary Lacy, aged 21, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"

Lacy 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:

Lacy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Robert Lacy, aged 28, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
Edward Lacy, aged 21, a cooper, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
Emma Lacy, aged 15, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
George Lacy, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dilawur" in 1875

Lacy 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. 9

Lacy Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jane Lacy, who settled in Barbados in 1654
Jane Lacy, who sailed to Barbados in 1660

Contemporary Notables of the name Lacy (post 1700) +

Kyren Pierre Lacy (2000-2025), American college football player who was a wide receiver for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and LSU Tigers
William Howard Lacy (1945-2016), American businessman, CEO of MGIC Investment from 1987 to 1999
James J. "Jim" Lacy (1926-2014), American basketball player
Venus Lacy (b. 1967), Gold Medal-winning American Olympic basketball player
Steve Lacy (1934-2004), American jazz saxophonist and composer
Gerald LeRoy "Jerry" Lacy (b. 1936), American soap opera actor
Jennifer Lacy (b. 1983), American professional basketball player
Jeff Lacy (b. 1977), American former International Boxing Federation super middleweight champion
Hugh De Lacy (1910-1986), American politician, member of the United States House of Representatives from 1945 to 1947
Elizabeth B. Lacy (b. 1945), first woman named to be a Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
... (Another 29 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Lacy family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Charles Albert Lacy (1864-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10

The Lacy 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: Meritas augentur honores
Motto Translation: Honours are enhanced by deserts.

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/wreck_of_emigrant_ship_john_1855.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY BRUCE 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846LadyBruce.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance