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Coursey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Coursey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The Coursey 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 Coursey family

The surname Coursey 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 Coursey family

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

Coursey 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 Coursey family

More information is included under the topic Early Coursey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coursey Ranking

In the United States, the name Coursey is the 11,252^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Coursey migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Coursey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Coursey, who landed in Maryland in 1653 5
Katherine Coursey, who landed in Maryland in 1653 5
Mary Coursey, who arrived in Maryland in 1658 5
James Coursey, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 5
Jane Coursey, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 5

Coursey migration to Australia +

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

Coursey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Neirsonde Coursey, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Posthumous" in 1849 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Coursey (post 1700) +

Nancy Ann Coursey (b. 1976), birth name of Paige Summers, an American adult model
Court Coursey (b. 1972), American Managing Partner of TomorrowVentures
Will R. Coursey (b. 1978), American politician, Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives (2009-)
James H. De Coursey Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, 1969-71 7

Historic Events for the Coursey family +

Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)

Willis Larry Coursey (1948-1988), American Military from San Antonio, Texas, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 8

USS Arizona

Mr. John P. Coursey, American First Lieutenant working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 9

The Coursey 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
"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The POSTHUMOUS 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Posthumous.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html