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Irish surname

Darcy: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Dorchaidhe (Gaelic); de Arcy / D'Arcy (Norman, Irish form Dairsigh) · Ó Dorchaidhe, 'descendant of Dorchaidhe' (dark-man); the Norman D'Arcy is 'de Arcy', i.e. from Arci in Normandy

Darcy has two separate origins in Ireland, according to Woulfe (1923). The Norman D'Arcys, from Arci in Normandy, were founded in Ireland by Sir John D'Arcy, chief justiciary of Ireland in the second quarter of the 14th century, and held land in Meath. Separately, the Gaelic Ó Dorchaidhe ('dark-man') of Mayo and Galway is 'now nearly everywhere anglicised Darcy or D'Arcy'. In 1890, Ireland's birth indexes held 86 entries for Darcy and its spelling varieties (77 spelled Darcy), chiefly in Dublin and Tipperary.

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Coat of arms associated with the Darcy surname
Irish formÓ Dorchaidhe (Gaelic); de Arcy / D'Arcy (Norman, Irish form Dairsigh)
MeaningÓ Dorchaidhe, 'descendant of Dorchaidhe' (dark-man); the Norman D'Arcy is 'de Arcy', i.e. from Arci in Normandy
CountiesMeath, Mayo, Galway, Dublin
Other spellings4
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Darcy crest gifts

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Origin of the Darcy name

Two separate families, as Woulfe gives them. Norman: Sir John D'Arcy, chief justiciary of Ireland, received large grants in Meath; the family's chief seat was Platten, Co. Meath. Gaelic: Ó Dorchaidhe were a branch of the Ui Fiachrach, chiefs of Partry, west of Lough Mask, Co. Mayo, and a branch of the Ui Maine in Co. Galway.[1][2]

  1. Second quarter of the 14th centurySir John D'Arcy, chief justiciary of Ireland, founds the Irish family.[1]
  2. End of the 16th centuryÓ Dorchaidhe found in nearly every Munster county, and in Kildare and Carlow.[2]
  3. 1757Patrick Darcy a Colonel in the Irish Brigade at Rosbach.[4]
  4. 1779Count Patrick Darcy dies of cholera in Paris, 18 October.[4]
  5. 189086 birth entries incl. varieties (77 as Darcy), chiefly Dublin and Tipperary.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. MeathChief seat of the Norman D'Arcys for many centuries was at Platten.[1]
Co. MayoÓ Dorchaidhe were chiefs of Partry, to the west of Lough Mask.[2]
Co. GalwayA branch of the Ui Maine bore the name Ó Dorchaidhe.[2]
Co. DublinFirst county named for Darcy births in 1890.[3]
Co. TipperaryA principal county for Darcy births in 1890.[3]

Notable people named Darcy

Sir John D'Arcy14th centuryChief justiciary of Ireland; founder of the Irish D'Arcy family, with large grants in Meath.[1]
Count Patrick Darcyd. 1779Galway-born engineer officer and mathematician in France; Colonel in the Irish Brigade at Rosbach.[4][5]

Other spellings

D'Arcy · de Arcy · Dorcey · Darkey[1][2]

The Darcy coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Darcy surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Darcy surname: questions

Is Darcy an Irish or Norman name?

Both. Woulfe says the D'Arcys were a Norman family from Arci in Normandy, founded in Ireland by Sir John D'Arcy; he also says the Gaelic Ó Dorchaidhe is now nearly everywhere anglicised Darcy or D'Arcy, 'which disguises the Irish origin of the family'.[1][2]

What does the surname Darcy mean?

The Norman name is 'de Arcy', from Arci in Normandy. The Gaelic Ó Dorchaidhe means 'descendant of Dorchaidhe' (dark-man).[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Darcy name from?

The Norman D'Arcys were seated at Platten, Co. Meath. The Gaelic Ó Dorchaidhe were in Partry, Co. Mayo, and in Co. Galway. In 1890 Darcy births were found chiefly in Dublin and Tipperary.[1][2][3]

How common was Darcy in Ireland?

Matheson counted 86 entries for Darcy, including spelling varieties (77 under the spelling Darcy), in the 1890 birth indexes: Leinster 40, Munster 24, Ulster 11, Connaught 11.[3]

Sources

  1. Dairsigh (de Arcy, D'Arcy) — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/dairsigh.php
  2. Ó Dorchaidhe — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/od/o-dorchaidhe.php
  3. Darcy — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/darcy.php
  4. Patrick Darcy — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/PatrickDarcy.php
  5. D'Arcy, Patrick — Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900 (vol. 14), transcribed, Wikisource. en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/...

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).