Courcy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

The Courcy surname is derived from the place named Courcy in Normandy, France. "A well-known Norman baronial family, from which sprang the barons De Courcy, the Earls of Ulster, and the Barons Kingsale." 1

Early Origins of the Courcy family

The surname Courcy was first found in Stoke County, Somerset, one of the baronies received by Richard de Courcy, who accompanied William, Duke of Normandy, on his conquest of England, and was present at the decisive battle of Hastings, 14 Oct. 1066. He was also given the lordships of Newentam, Seckenden, and Foxcote, in Oxfordshire. There is a record of Richard de Curci in the Domesday Book of 1086, in Oxfordshire. 2 William de Curcy, also a landowner listed in the Domesday book married King William I's daughter Emma.

John de Courci (d. 1219?), "was a soldier of fortune, whose parentage is a problem as yet, it would seem, unsolved. He was certainly one of the well-known house of that name established in Oxfordshire and Somersetshire, for he appears with a Jordan de Courci (probably his brother) as a witness to a grant by William de Courci (a royal dapifer) to St. Andrew of Stoke, which foundation the De Courcis had bestowed on the abbey of Lonlay in Normandy."

"Whatever his origin, the facts of his life have been lost in a maze of legend, and it is now a matter of difficulty to sift the true from the false. His first appearance in history is in the Norman-French poem assigned (but in error) to Mathew Regan, where he is represented as receiving in Ireland from Henry II (1172) a license to conquer Ulster; this, however, is scarcely consistent with the version given by Giraldus. According to this, John de Courci was one of three leaders, with ten knights apiece, who were despatched to Ireland by Henry on hearing of Strongbow's death, as an escort to William FitzAldelm, whom he entrusted with plenary powers (cap. xv.). The expedition sailed in December 1176, and within a month of his landing De Courci, with twenty-two knights and some three hundred followers, had set out from Dublin on his daring raid to conquer the kingdom of Ulster." 3

Early History of the Courcy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Courcy research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Courcy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Courcy Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Courcy, Courcey, Courcie, Curcy, Cursie, Curcie, DeCourcy, De Courcy and many more.

Early Notables of the Courcy family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir John De Courcy, Early of Ulster

Courcy migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Courcy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jean Courcy, who arrived in Louisiana in 1718-1724 4
William de Courcy, a Jacobite was sent to Maryland in 1763

Courcy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry de Courcy was a prominent religious man in the United States during the nineteenth century

Courcy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Courcy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Courcy, who married in Quebec in 1703
Nicolas Courcy married in Rivière-Ouelle in 1749

The Courcy 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: Vincit omnia veritas
Motto Translation: Truth conquers all things.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)