Treacy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The oldest instances of the Treacy surname in Ireland come from an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Treasaigh, or "descendant of Treasach," a personal name meaning "warlike," "fierce." However, many of the surname Treacy come from Anglo-Norman roots, from the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Treacy family

The surname Treacy was first found in Devon, where they were Lords of Barnstaple, descended from a famous Norman family from Tracy near Vire in Carne in Normandy. William Tracey was a natural son of Henry I, and his descendant, Henry Tracey received from King Stephen the Barony of Barnstaple. His descendant, William Tracy, in 1170, was one of the murderers of Thomas A Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Early History of the Treacy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Treacy research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1643 and 1648 are included under the topic Early Treacy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Treacy Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a single person often had their name recorded by church officials and scribes many different ways. Names were typically spelt as they sounded, which resulted in many different spelling variations. The many versions of the name Treacy to have been recorded over the years include: Tracey, Tracy, Treacy, Trassey, Trasey, O'Tracy, O'Trasey, Tracye and many more.

Early Notables of the Treacy family

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Treacy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Treacy 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 Treacy:

Treacy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Treacy, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1844 1
John Treacy, aged 26, who arrived in New York in 1854 1
Bridget Treacy, who settled in Cincinnati in 1854
Henry Treacy, who was on record in New York in 1854

Treacy migration to Australia +

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

Treacy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Treacy, aged 25, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Prince Regent" 2
William Treacy, aged 25, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1851 2

Treacy 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:

Treacy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Treacy, aged 35, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Seringapatam" in 1856
Ann Treacy, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Seringapatam" in 1856
C. Treacy, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ernestina" in 1865
Mr. Thomas Treacy, (b. 1843), aged 24, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Glenmark" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1867 3
Michael Treacy, aged 24, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Treacy (post 1700) +

John Patrick Treacy (1891-1964), American Roman Catholic bishop
Emerson Treacy (1900-1967), American film, Broadway and radio actor
Noel Treacy (1951-2022), Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway East constituency from 1982 to 2011, Minister of State for European Affairs (2004-2007), Minister of State for Food and Horticulture (2002-2004), Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (1997-2002), Minister of State at the Department of Finance (1992-1993)
Seán Treacy (1923-2018), Irish politician, Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) of Dáil Éireann (1973-1977 and 1987-1997)
Raymond Christopher Patrick Treacy (1946-2015), Irish professional footballer
Brother Patrick Ambrose Treacy (1834-1912), Irish Roman Catholic educationist, who worked in Australia with the Christian Brothers
Bishop Eric Treacy MBE (1907-1978), English railway photographer and Anglican Bishop
Richard Treacy Henry (1845-1929), New Zealand conservationist and reserve manager

Citations +

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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PRINCE REGENT 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851PrinceRegent.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html