Contents [hide]

Mace History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Mace History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The surname Mace is a name that came to England in the 11th century wave of migration that was set off by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Mace family lived in Cheshire. Their name, however, is a reference to their place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Macey in Manche, Normandy. 1

Early Origins of the Mace family

The surname Mace was first found in Cheshire, but looking back further, this Norman family originated at Macey in Manche, Normandy and Hamon Massie arrived in England with the Conqueror and was granted the lands of Dunham-Massey in Cheshire. He was a tenant of Lupus, Earl of Chester.

"In 1086 Hugh de Maci held lands in Huntingdonshire 2, and Hamo or Hamund de Maci held nine lordships in barony from Hugh Lupus in Cheshire, and 1193 subscribed the foundation charter of Chester Abbey, and granted lands to it." 1

"The present town of Dunham-Massey, 'the home of the Masseys on the downs,' takes its name from this Hamon, one of the Palatinate barons, who there built his castle, and made it the head of his honour. His descendants held it for more than two hundred and seventy years, five generations in succession bearing his name." 3

By the time of the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the name was scattered throughout England as seen by the following entries found there: Alan Macey and Henry Macy in Suffolk; Robert de Maysey and William de Macy in Wiltshire; and Walter Masci in Huntingdon. 4

"The Massies of Sale, who gave their name to Saughall Massie, and had branched off as early as the time of King John, ended in 1685 with Richard Massy and his seven daughters. Of this line were the Massies of Backford and Timperley, whose last heir died in the time of Henry V.: the Massies of Edgeley, still flourishing under James I.: the Mascys of Godley, and probably those of Hough and Kelshall. The Masseys that were seated at Crossley till 1600." 3

Early History of the Mace family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mace research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1602, 1612, 1676, 1700, 1706, 1753 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Mace History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mace Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Macy, Macey and others.

Early Notables of the Mace family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Mace (c.1612-1706), an English lutenist, viol player, singer, composer and musical theorist, best known for his work "Musick's Monument" (1676)

Mace World Ranking

In the United States, the name Mace is the 2,874^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5 However, in France, the name Mace is ranked the 351^st most popular surname with an estimated 11,592 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Mace family to Ireland

Some of the Mace family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mace migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Mace or a variant listed above:

Mace Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jon Mace, who landed in Virginia in 1633 7
Mr. John Mace, aged 20, from England who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "America" arriving in June 1635 7
Rowland Mace, who arrived in Maryland in 1641 7
Gilbert Mace, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 7
William Mace, who landed in Virginia in 1656 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mace Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Mace, who arrived in New England in 1730 7

Mace Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexandre Constant Macy Mace, aged 34, who arrived in Missouri in 1849 7
William Mace, who landed in Iroquois County, Illinois in 1886 7
John B Mace, who arrived in Mississippi in 1887 7

Mace migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mace Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Sister Catherine Mace, who arrived in Montreal in 1659

Mace migration to Australia +

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

Mace Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Mace, (b. 1811), aged 24, British Farm Labourer who was convicted in Derby, England for 7 years for stealing clothing, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 8
Miss Matilda Mace who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 4th September 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. Thomas Mace, English convict who was convicted in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England for 6 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia

Mace 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:

Mace Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Walter MacE, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Amos Mace, aged 36, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Catherine Mace, aged 36, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Reuben Mace, aged 14, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Levy Mace, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mace 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. 10

Mace Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Miss Alice Mace, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Mace (post 1700) +

Nancy Ruth Mace (b. 1977), American businesswoman and the author of "In the Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel"
James E. Mace (1952-2004), American historian and professor
Fred Mace (1878-1917), American silent era actor who appeared in 156 films between 1909 and 1916
Lennie Mace (b. 1965), American contemporary artist from New York City, predominantly known for his drawings in ballpoint pen
Brigadier-General Harold Loring Mace (1907-1946), American Commanding Officer of the 46th Bombardment Group (1943) 12
Paul Mace (1950-1983), American actor, perhaps best known for his role as Wimpy Murgalo in the movie The Lords of Flatbush
Myles La Grange Mace (1911-2000), American professor at the Harvard Business School
Daniel Mace (1811-1867), American politician, U.S. Representative from Indiana
Francis Borden Mace (b. 1920), American movie producer
C. Ross Mace, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 1896, 1908, 1912 (alternate) 13
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 11) Harold Mace. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Mace/Harold_Loring/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html