Darcy (or variant forms Darci, Darcie, or Darcey), lit. "''From the Fortress''", or "''Dark(-haired) One''", is a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

from the Norman

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Arcy, La Manche, in what was once

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, a

duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a Middle Ages, medieval country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition. There once exis ...

/dukedom under the French king), but is now Northern France. The surname became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of England; while more popular as a surname, it does have some popularity as a given name. Derived

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

s include girl's names like ''Darcene''. The surname is also applied as an anglicization for the Gaelic surname Ó Dorchaidhe. People with this surname include: *

Conyers Darcy Sir Conyers Darcy or Darcey, (c. 16851 December 1758), of Aske, near Richmond, Yorkshire, was a British Army officer, courtier and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1707 and 1758. Early life Darcy was the second surviving ...

(c. 1685–1758), British politician and courtier *

Dame Darcy Darcy Megan Stanger (born June 19, 1971, Caldwell, Idaho), better known by the pen name Dame Darcy, is an alternative comics, alternative cartoonist, fine artist, musician, cabaret performer, and animator/filmmaker. Her "Neo-Victorian" comic boo ...

, American graphic artist, cartoonist, and musician *

Eamonn Darcy Eamonn Christopher Darcy (born 7 August 1952) is an Irish professional golfer. He won four times on the European Tour and played in the Ryder Cup four times. Professional career Darcy, with a handicap of 12, turned professional at the age of ...

(born 1952), Irish golfer *

Elizabeth Darcy, Countess of Ormond Elizabeth Butler (''nee'' Darcy), Countess of Ormond (3 April 1332 – 24 March 1390), was the wife of Irish peer James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond, and the mother of his six children, including James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond. Family and lineag ...

(3 April 1332 – 24 March 1390) * Elizabeth Darcy, Countess of Rivers and Viscountess of Savage (1581 – 9 March 1650) * Elizabeth Darcy, nursemaid of then-infant Arthur, Prince of Wales (firstborn son of Henry VII of King Henry VII of England). *

Emma Darcy Emma Darcy is the pseudonym used by the Australian husband–wife writing team of Wendy Brennan (28 November 1940 – 12 December 2020) and Frank Brennan (1936 – 1995), they wrote in collaboration over 45 romance novels. In 1993, for the Emm ...

, pseudonym of Australian husband and wife writers Frank and Wendy Brennan *

Henry Darcy Henry Philibert Gaspard Darcy (, 10 June 1803 – 3 January 1858) was a French engineer who made several important contributions to hydraulics, including Darcy’s law for flow in porous media. Early life Darcy was born in Dijon, France, on J ...

(1803–1858), French scientist who made several important contributions to hydraulics and hydrogeology and for whom the unit of permeability is named *

John Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Knayth John D'arcy, 1st Baron D'arcy de Knayth (c. 1290 – 30 May 1347) was an English peer. He was created 1st Baron Darcy in 1317."Lady D'arcy de Knayth" (2008, March 12). ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved October 18, 2014 from https://www.telegraph.co ...

(1290–1347), English peer and Lord Justiciar of Ireland *

Judy Darcy Judy Darcy (born 1950) is a Canadian health care advocate, trade unionist, and former politician. Darcy was the first Minister of Mental Health and Addictions of British Columbia. She was the fourth National President of the Canadian Union of Pu ...

(born 1950), Danish health care advocate, trade unionist, and politician. *

Les Darcy James Leslie Darcy (28 October 189524 May 1917) was an Australian boxer. He was a middleweight, but held the Australian Heavyweight Championship title at the same time. Les Darcy was the 2003 Inductee for the Australian National Boxing Hall ...

(1895–1917), Australian boxer *

Luke Darcy Luke Darcy (born 12 July 1975) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL) and now works for the Seven Network and Triple M covering the AFL and the Olympics. Early life L ...

(born 1975), former Australian rules footballer *

Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, (17 May 1718 – 16 May 1778), known before 1721 as Lord Darcy and Conyers, was a British diplomat and politician. Career In 1741 he collaborated with G.F. Handel in the production of Deidamia. From ...

(1718–1778), British diplomat and politician *

Susan Darcy Suzanna Darcy-Henneman (some sources say her name is Susan Darcy) is a Boeing test pilot and lead test pilot of Boeing 777 program. She was a pilot of a record-breaking 21,602.22 km flight from Hong Kong to London over the Pacific Ocean, Am ...

(born 1956), American test pilot *

Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Darcy or of Temple Hurst, ( 1467 – 30 June 1537) was an English nobleman, the only son, and heir, of Sir William Darcy (1443 – 30 May 1488) and his wife, Euphemia Langton, the daughter of Sir John Langton. Dar ...

(c. 1467 – 30 June 1537), an English nobleman convicted of high treason and executed for his role in the

Pilgrimage of Grace The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular revolt beginning in Yorkshire in October 1536, before spreading to other parts of Northern England including Cumberland, Northumberland, and north Lancashire, under the leadership of Robert Aske. The "most ...

Fictional Characters

* Elizabeth Darcy, the female protagonist in Jane Austen's novel ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

''. * Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Esquire, the male protagonist in Jane Austen's novel, ''Pride and Prejudice''.

Fictional Characters

See also