Lucy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Lucy is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Lucy family lived in Norfolk. Their name, however, derives from the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066 of England, Lucy, near Rouen. 1 Luce is in Orne in the bailiwick of le Passeis, near Domfront, Normandy.
Early Origins of the Lucy family
The surname Lucy was first found in Norfolk where the first mention of the family of Lucy was made by Henry I of the lordship of Dice therein to Richard de Lucie, Governor of Falaise who later played a prominent role in the contests of King Stephen's reign. He was more than once Lieutenant of England. 2
"In 1165, Richard de Lucy's barony in Passy ([, Normandy]) consisted of 19 fees. He also held 19 in Devon, besides others in Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk and in 1156 in Northumberland. Geoffry de Lucy held on fee in Devon in 1165." 3
Inglewood Forest in Cumberland was home to another branch of the family. "It was a forest only in the Scottish sense of the word; a wild open chace, 'full of woods, red and fallow deer, wild swine, and all manner of wild beasts.' The wild beasts included many wolves. There is a sad tradition respecting a lady of the Lucy family, who, walking one evening near her father's castle of Egremont, was attacked and torn to pieces by a famished wolf. The place where her mangled body was found is still marked by a cairn of stones, and known as Woeful Bank." 4
The Lucys of Charlecote, Warwickshire descend from Sir William de Charlecote who changed his name to Lucy. This latter claim of a name change is of some dispute but what is certain is that this was the same gentleman that Shakespeare apparently lampooned in the 1580s by mocking his name and suggesting his wife was unfaithful. Again, this claim cannot be verified.
Truro in Cornwall was an ancient home to some of the family. "The manor, in 1161, belonged to Richard de Luci, chief justice of England and lord of Truro, who probably built the castle (the site of which is still called Castle Hill), and who invested the inhabitants with numerous privileges, which were confirmed by Reginald Fitz-Henry, Earl of Cornwall, natural son of Henry I." 5
Another branch of the family was found at Lessness in Kent. It was here that Richard de Luci (1089-1179) of Richard de Lucy was High Sheriff of Essex and later Chief Justiciar of England (1154-1179.) He also founded "an abbey for Black canons, in honour of St. Mary and St. Thomas the Martyr in 1178." 5
Early History of the Lucy family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lucy research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1525, 1551, 1585, 1592, 1594, 1614, 1619, 1640, 1647, 1653, 1658, 1660, 1667 and 1677 are included under the topic Early Lucy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Lucy Spelling Variations
Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Lucy, Luce, Lucey, Lucie and others.
Early Notables of the Lucy family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- William Lucy,High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1400
- Sir Richard Lucy, 1st Baronet (c.1592-1667), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1647 and 1658
- William Lucy (1594-1677), an English clergyman, Bishop of St David's (1660-1677)
- Sir Thomas Lucy (d.1525)
Lucy Ranking
In the United States, the name Lucy is the 9,218th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6
Migration of the Lucy family to Ireland
Some of the Lucy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Lucy migration to the United States +
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Lucy or a variant listed above:
Lucy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Lucy, who settled in Virginia in 1653 along with Margaret
- Joane Lucy, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 7
- Thomas Lucy, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 7
- William Lucy, who landed in Virginia in 1658 7
- Tho Lucy, who landed in Virginia in 1660 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Lucy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Robert Lucy, who arrived in Virginia in 1711 7
- John Lucy, who landed in New England in 1750 7
- William Lucy, who landed in America in 1793 7
Lucy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Dennis Lucy, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1860 7
Lucy migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Lucy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Erick Lucy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Lucy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Jeremiah Lucy, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
Lucy migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Lucy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Hannah Lucy, aged 15, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Elgin" 8
- Hannah Lucy, aged 15, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Elgin" in 1849 8
- Abigail Lucy, aged 23, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Rodney" 9
- Agnes Lucy, aged 20, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"
- Harriett Lucy, aged 28, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"
Lucy 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:
Lucy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. John Lucy, (b. 1857), aged 18, Irish labourer from County Kerry travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 10
Contemporary Notables of the name Lucy (post 1700) +
- Autherine Juanita Lucy (1929-2022), American activist who was the first African-American student to attend the University of Alabama, in 1956; she was expelled later that year which led to the university's President Oliver Carmichael's resignation, a clock tower was erected in her honor on its campus in 2010
- William Lucy, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from District of Columbia, 2000 11
- John D. Lucy, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut, 1908 11
- Irene M. Lucy, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Conway, 1956 11
- Henry M. Lucy, American politician, Village President of Allen Park, Michigan, 1951-53 11
- Dennis B. Lucy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 22nd District, 1898 11
- Gary Edward Lucy (b. 1981), English television actor and model
- Charles Lucy (1814-1873), English historical painter
- Sir Henry William Lucy (1845-1924), English journalist
- Judith Mary Lucy (b. 1968), Australian comedian
- ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
- Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
- 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)
- Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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) ELGIN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Elgin.htm
- South Australian Register Wednesday 21st February 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Rodney 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/rodney1855.shtml
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html