Darc(e)y
- Origin: Anglo-Norman
- Meaning: “from Arcey.”
- Gender: Unisex
- First Est. 16th-century males; early 20th-century for females
- Variations: Darci, Darcie, D’Arcey.
From the transferred use of the Anglo-Norman surname, it was introduced into England after the Norman Conquest. Originally spelled D’arcey, it referred to someone who was from Arcy in La Manche, France. The name was also brought to Ireland by the Normans where the name later became synchronized with the older Gaelic surname Ó Dorchaidhe.
As a masculine given name, Darcy was already in use by the 17th century, generally through the practice of using family surnames as given names. It was notably the surname of Fitzwilliam Darcy, the male protagonist of Jane Austen‘s Pride and Prejudice (1813), though it is unlikely that the novel was responsible for the name’s early use as a given name.
For females, the name came into use in the early 20th century, with examples appearing in the United States by the 1910s. By the 1920s, its usage appears to have become somewhat more widespread among females, particularly among Irish-Catholic families. This may have been influenced by the 1920 canonization of St. Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc in French). However, it did not enter the U.S. Top 1000 female names until 1949. It peaked at #349 in 1968 and currently ranks at #985 (2025).
In England and Wales, Darcy and its spelling variants have experienced considerably greater popularity among females. Darcy appeared in the Top 100 female names between 2013 and 2017, peaking at #89 in 2015, while Darcey was even more popular, peaking at #72 in 2014. Darcie has also experienced substantial usage. As of 2025, Darcy ranked #140 among female names in England and Wales.
The name and its variants have also been particularly popular among girls in Northern Ireland, where Darcy, Darcie and Darcey have all been used. Because the popularity is divided among several spellings, no single form completely reflects the name’s overall usage. This is especially characteristic of modern British and Irish usage, where the three spellings coexist. Northern Ireland’s official baby-name statistics record names individually by spelling, making the combined popularity of the name considerably more difficult to represent with a single ranking.
In Scotland, Darcy is also predominantly feminine in modern usage. It has experienced a recent resurgence and returned to the Scottish female Top 100 at #100 in 2025, rising 52 places from the previous year. The spellings Darcie and Darcey are also found in Scotland, although Darcy is currently the most prominent of the three.
Interestingly, Australia has retained a much stronger tradition of Darcy as a masculine name. In New South Wales, masculine Darcy has repeatedly appeared in the Top 100 during the 21st century and ranked #79 in 2025. Female usage also occurs, but Darcy remains much more strongly associated with boys in Australia than it does in Britain or the United States.
Darcy is also traditionally used as a unisex given name in Brazil, where it belongs to an older generation of Brazilian names rather than the recent English-language surname-name trend. A particularly notable bearer was Brazilian anthropologist, writer and politician Darcy Ribeiro (1922–1997).
Sister Names: Amy, Annecy, Ashley, Bellamy, Bethany, Brittany, Carol(e), Chantal, Chelsea, Cherie, Courtney, Dana, Deanne, Delaney, Erin, Giverny, Harley, Hillary, Jaime, Janelle, Jill, Jolie, Joyce, Kelly, Kerry, Kimberl(e)y, Lac(e)y, Leigh, Lexi, Lorraine, Madison, Marnie, Meredith, Mindy, Nancy, Paige, Paisley, Sandy, Shannon, Shell(e)y, Stac(e)y, Tammy, Tara, Tiffany, Trac(e)y, Vianney, Wendy
Brother Names: Alfie, Archie, Arlo, Blake, Brian, Christopher, Corey, Craig, Dale, Darrell, Darren, Dean, Dexter, Gary, Harrison, Harry, Harvey, Jackson, Jeffrey, Keith, Kenneth, Kevin, Mark, Ollie, Randy, Reggie, Riley, Rory, Ryan, Scott, Sean, Steven, Stanley, Timothy, Todd, Troy, Wayne
Sources
Ad space — add Google AdSense code in Appearance › Ad Settings