Pace History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Pace reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Pace family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Pace family lived in Cheshire. The name, however, is a reference to Pacy Sur Eure, in Evreux, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 1
Alternatively, the name could be "given to one born during the Passover festival or at Easter; descendant of Pace (peace), or of Pace, a pet form of Bonapace (good peace)." 2
"Easter-eggs are still called pace-eggs in the North of England." 3 4
Early Origins of the Pace family
The surname Pace was first found in Leicestershire where John Pais was listed in 1219. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Roger and Ralph Pays in Norfolk and John Pax in Devon. Again, in Devon, John Pace was listed there in 1242. Up north, Peter Pece was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1302. 4 William Pace was listed in the Testa de Nevill and accordingly held lands at that time. 5
Early History of the Pace family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pace research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1153, 1482, 1509, 1514, 1516, 1523 and 1536 are included under the topic Early Pace History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Pace Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Pace, Paice, Pacie, Pacy and others.
Early Notables of the Pace family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Richard Pace (c. 1482-1536), an English diplomat of the Tudor period...
- Little is known of the origins of another Richard Pace who was an early settler and Ancient Planter of Colonial Jamestown, Virginia...
- Today, a marker in Surry County, Virginia is located near the location of the Pace's Paines plantation...
Pace Ranking
In the United States, the name Pace is the 681st most popular surname with an estimated 42,279 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Pace is ranked the 2,831st most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 7
Pace migration to the United States +
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Pace name or one of its variants:
Pace Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Richard Pace (c. 1590-1625), an early settler and Ancient Planter of Colonial Jamestown, Virginia; he and his wife received a land grant of 100 acres later named Pace's Paines
- Isabella Pace who arrived in Virginia in 1628
- Henry Pace, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 8
- Antho Pace who settled in Virginia in 1669
- John Pace, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 8
Pace Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Mary Pace, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1715-1716 8
- Robert Pace, who settled in New England in 1748
Pace Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- James Pace, who landed in New York in 1812 8
- H. Pace, who settled in Philadelphia in 1823
- Fco. Pace who arrived in New Orleans in 1825
- Charles Pace who settled in San Francisco in1852
Pace migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Pace Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Darius Pace who settled in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1783
Pace migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Pace Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- John Henry Pace, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Taglioni" in 1842 9
- Elizabeth Stevens Pace, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Taglioni" in 1842 9
- Mr. Thomas Pace, (b. 1816), aged 35, English miner who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1891 10
Contemporary Notables of the name Pace (post 1700) +
- Tarrian LaShun Pace (1961-2022), American gospel singer–songwriter, a Stellar Award winner and evangelist
- Jim Pace (1961-2020), American racing driver
- Glenn Leroy Pace (1940-2017), American religious leader, general authority of the LDS Church (1985-2017)
- Scott Norman Pace (b. 1959), American current Director of the Space Policy Institute at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University
- Nick Pace (b. 1987), American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division
- Lee Grinner Pace (b. 1979), American Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award nominated actor, known for his roles in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The Fall (2006)
- Calvin Lamar Pace (b. 1980), American football outside linebacker for the New York Jets
- Frank Pace Jr. (1912-1988), American 3rd United States Secretary of the Army (1950-1953)
- Stephen Pace (1918-2010), American Abstract expressionist painter, co-eponym of the Kenneth P. McCutchan Art Center/Palmina F. and Stephen S. Pace Galleries
- Olin Stephen Pace (1891-1970), American politician and lawyer, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia (1937-1951)
- ... (Another 51 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Pace family +
USS Arizona
- Mr. Amos Paul Pace, American Boatswain's Mate First Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 11
Suggested Readings for the name Pace +
- Our Ancestors by Glen Robert Johnson.
- Pace's Smith's Baucom's (sic) by William Carroll Pace.
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)
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- 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) TAGLIONI 1842. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1842Taglioni.gif
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
