McDarcy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Gaelic is at the heart of all the Irish surnames that can be found throughout the world today. The original Gaelic form of the name McDarcy is "O'Dorchaidhe," from the word "dorcha," which means "dark." Alternatively, some branches of the family may be descended from Norman stock; the name is also derived from "Arcy," the name of a place in La Manche, Normandy. In this case, the surname would refer to "one from Arcy."

Early Origins of the McDarcy family

The surname McDarcy was first found in Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McDarcy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McDarcy research. Another 338 words (24 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1334, 1384, 1598, 1668, 1725 and 1779 are included under the topic Early McDarcy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McDarcy Spelling Variations

The spelling of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was rarely consistent. This inconsistency was due to the scribes and church officials' attempts to record orally defined names in writing. The common practice of recording names as they sounded resulted in spelling variations such as Dorcey, Dorcy, Dorsey, Darcey, D'Arcy, O'Dorcey, MacDarcy, Darsy and many more.

Early Notables of the McDarcy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Sir John D'Arcy, chief Governor of Ireland under Kings Edward I, II, III (14th century); Patrick Darcy (1598-1668) a...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McDarcy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McDarcy family

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of McDarcy were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists: Edward Dorsey, who came to Virginia in 1646; Michael Darcy, who settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767; George Darcy, who was living in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1774.

The McDarcy 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: Un dieu, un roi
Motto Translation: One God, one king.