Lacy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames when the Strongbownians arrived. Often the two traditions blended together quite well due to some of their basic similarities, but the incoming Anglo-Norman system brought in some forms that were uncommon amongst the Irish. One of these Anglo-Norman anomalies was the prevalence of local surnames, such as Lacy. Local names were taken from the names of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. Originally, the place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname if the place name began with a vowel or was eliminated entirely. The local surnames of these Strongbownian invaders referred to places in Normandy, or more typically England, but eventually for those Anglo-Normans that remained in Ireland, the nicknames referred to places or geographical features of the island: they became true local names. The Lacy family appears to have originally lived in the settlement of Lassy in the region called Calvados in northern France. The name of this place is derived from the Gaulish personal name Lascius, which is of uncertain origin, and the local suffix -acum. The Gaelic form of the surname Lacy is de Léis. However, there is a native Irish family of County Wexford named Ó Laitheasa who anglicize their surname as Lacy. This name, which was originally Ó Flaithgheasa, is derived from the Gaelic word flaith, which means prince. 1 This was, in most cases, a nickname applied to someone with princely manners or a regal bearing.

Early Origins of the Lacy family

The surname Lacy was first found in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they had been granted lands by Strongbow after the invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Lacy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lacy research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1298 is included under the topic Early Lacy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lacy Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes spelled names as they sounded; therefore, single person, could have his name spelt many different ways during their lifetime. While investigating the origins of the name Lacy, many spelling variations were encountered, including: Lacey, Lacie, Lacy, de Lacy, Lasey, Lassey and many more.

Early Notables of the Lacy family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

Lacy Ranking

In the United States, the name Lacy is the 1,263rd most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 2


Lacy 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 Lacy:

Lacy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Lacy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Lacy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lacy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lacy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Lacy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Lacy migration to Australia +

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

Lacy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Lacy 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:

Lacy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Lacy migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9
Lacy Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Lacy (post 1700) +


The Lacy 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: Meritas augentur honores
Motto Translation: Honours are enhanced by deserts.


Suggested Readings for the name Lacy +
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