Show ContentsMuncy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Muncy family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Monceaux, Normandy. "The 'Sire de Monceals' of the Roman de Ron. He 'descended from the ancient lords of Maers and Monceaux, Counts of Nevers. Landric IV. became Count of Nevers c. 990 by marriage, and had a younger son Landric of Nevers, Baron of Monceaux, grandfather of William de Monceaux, who is mentioned by Wace in 1066. He appears as William de Moncellis in the Eastern Domesday, and as William de Nevers in Norfolk 1086. 1 His descendants occur in Sussex, but chiefly in Yorkshire and Lincoln.' " 2

"There are several communes of this name in Normandy; but Monceaux, near Bayeux, is probably the one meant. This name is frequently to be found in the earlier muniments of Battle Abbey; for a branch of the family, soon after the Conquest, settled at Bodiham, in its immediate neighbourhood. Part of his estate there was granted by William de Monceaux to the Abbey, at some date previous to 1200. " 3

Early Origins of the Muncy family

The surname Muncy was first found in Sussex where they held a family seat as lords of the manor of Herstmonceux. They were descended from the ancient Lords of Maers and Monceaux, Counts of Nevers in Normandy. They were granted lands in Sussex and those branches, retaining the name Monceaux became the Lords of Monson, the Viscounts Castlemaine, and the Lords Sondes.

The first record of the family was "Drogo de Moncy [who] came to England 1066, and was in Palestine 1096. Drogo de Moncy, his son, had a pardon in Sussex 1130. In 1299 Walter de Moncy was summoned to Parliament as a baron." 2

"The Moncys held Thornton of the Percy fee in Yorkshire. 'Walter de Muncy, 28 Edward I. had a charter for free-warren in his demesne lands at Thornton juxta Skipton, Everby, and Kelbroke in the co. of York. From the frequency of his name in the writs of summons of his time, he must have been a person of great eminence. In 29 Edward I, he was one of those barons Avho, in the parliament at Lincoln, subscribed that memorable letter which was addressed to the Pope,asserting the King's supremacy over the realm of Scotland; on which occasion he was denominated Dominus de Thornton." 4

Another branch moved north into Cumberland soon after the Conquest: Hammond Monceaux was Sheriff of Cumberland in 1290, and it is there that the Mounsey branch is thought to have arisen.

In Lincolnshire, Edonea de Munchaus was listed as a Knights Templar in 1185 and a few years later, William Munci was listed in the Feet of Fines for Gloucestershire in 1198. 5

Later, Walter de Muncy, 1st Baron Muncy (d. c. 1309), was summoned to Parliament and was accordingly granted a peerage on 6 February 1299. This gentleman may be the same person referenced at Thornton in the West Riding of Yorkshire in early times. "This place in the reign of Edward I. belonged to Walter de Muncey, who obtained from that monarch the grant of a weekly market, and a fair on the festival of St. Thomas the Martyr and four following days." 6

Early History of the Muncy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Muncy research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1291, 1296, 1377, 1395, 1686, 1693, 1714, 1723 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Muncy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Muncy 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 Mounsey, Mounsie, Mouncie, Mouncey, Mouncy, Muncey, Muncie, Mounceaus, Monceaux, Monceux, Monse and many more.

Early Notables of the Muncy family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Messenger Monsey (1693-1788), physician, born in 1693, was eldest son of Robert Monsey, some time rector of Bawdeswell, Norfolk, but ejected as a nonjuror, and his wife Mary, daughter of the Rev. Roger Clopton. (The family of Monsey or Mounsey is supposed to be derived from the Norman house of De Monceaux.) Monsey was educated at home, and afterwards at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1714. He studied medicine at Norwich under Sir Benjamin Wrench, and was admitted extra licentiate of...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Muncy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Muncy Ranking

In the United States, the name Muncy is the 2,885th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 7


Muncy 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 Muncy name or one of its variants:

Muncy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • J Muncy, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 8
  • Muncy, aged 43, who settled in America, in 1893
Muncy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • P. Muncy, aged 29, who settled in America, in 1909
  • Henry Muncy, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States, in 1910
  • Albert Muncy, who landed in America, in 1919
  • Rene Muncy, aged 18, who immigrated to the United States, in 1921
  • Wendell D. Muncy, aged 27, who landed in America, in 1921

Contemporary Notables of the name Muncy (post 1700) +

  • Thomas J. Muncy, American Republican politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Virginia, 1920; U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, 1921-22 9
  • Raymond R. Muncy, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Mingo County, 1972 9
  • Ralph W. Muncy (1902-1992), American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Governor of Michigan, 1958; Socialist Labor Candidate for University of Michigan Board of Regents, 1959; Michigan Socialist Labor State Chair, 1961-69 9
  • Myron J. Muncy, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Cortland County, 1911 9
  • Lydia Baird Muncy (1902-1996), American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1964; Socialist Labor Candidate for University of Michigan Board of Regents, 1968 9
  • Charles P. Muncy, American Republican politician, Member of Kentucky State House of Representatives 84th District; Elected 1975 9
  • Becky Muncy, American award-winning musician and an elementary school music teacher
  • Mitchell Muncy, American book editor
  • Matt Muncy (b. 1983), American football linebacker
  • Jeff Muncy, American television producer and toy designer

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Claude Muncy, American Machinist's Mate Second 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 10


The Muncy 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: Semper paratus
Motto Translation: Always prepared.


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. 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)
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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)
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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