Explore the Family Name Darcy
The meaning of Darcy
1. English (Lancashire) and Irish: of Norman origin, a habitational name from Arcy in Manche, France, with fused preposition d(e) ‘from’. 2. Irish: in Ireland, this is generally the Norman name (see 1 above), established in Meath by Sir William D’Arcy in the 1360s, but it was also adopted for Ó Dorchaidhe ‘descendant of the dark one’, from dorcha ‘dark, gloomy’, a Connacht name that fell together with the Norman surname, which was introduced by Sir William D’Arcy and Sir John D’Arcy, Chief Justiciar of Ireland in the 14th century. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Eamon, Brendan, Eamonn, Maeve, Malachy, Niamh, Seamus. French Gisele, Julien, Normand, Alain, Armand, Cecile, Clemence, Dominique, Emile, Gilles, Jean-Paul, Laure.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Darcy in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Darcy has seen changes in its popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Darcy was ranked as the 6709th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had dropped slightly to the 6894th spot, indicating a change of -2.76%. However, the total count of people with this surname increased from 4645 in 2000 to 4876 in 2010, marking an increase of 4.97%. Yet, when considering the proportion of individuals with this surname per 100k people, there was a decrease of 4.07% from 1.72 to 1.65 over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,709 | #6,894 | -2.76% |
| Count | 4,645 | 4,876 | 4.97% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.72 | 1.65 | -4.07% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Darcy
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Darcy also saw changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, the majority of people with the surname identified as White (94.14%), but this percentage decreased to 91.80% by 2010. The next largest group in 2000 were those identifying as Hispanic (2.48%), which grew to 3.61% in 2010. Individuals identifying as Black or Asian/Pacific Islander made up a smaller portion of the Darcy surname bearers, with 1.42% and 0.32% respectively in 2000; these percentages changed to 1.25% and 0.51% in 2010. Those identifying as having two or more races increased from 1.23% to 2.17%, while individuals identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native rose from 0.41% to 0.66% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.14% | 91.8% | -2.49% |
| Hispanic | 2.48% | 3.61% | 45.56% |
| Two or More Races | 1.23% | 2.17% | 76.42% |
| Black | 1.42% | 1.25% | -11.97% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.41% | 0.66% | 60.98% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.32% | 0.51% | 59.38% |
Darcy ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Darcy is British & Irish, which comprises 61.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (13.4%) and Eastern European (5.4%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, Scandinavian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 61.3% |
| French & German | 13.4% |
| Eastern European | 5.4% |
| Other | 19.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Darcy
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Darcy have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 84.90% |
| Belfast, United Kingdom | 84.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 84.90% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 84.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 84.90% |
What Darcy haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Darcy is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-M222, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: O'Neill, Kelly, O'Neil, Carroll, Hughes, Dugan, Gorman, Lynch, Kennedy, Duggan.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Darcy surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Darcy have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Darcy" Surname 52.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Darcy" Surname 32.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Darcy" Surname 65.2%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Darcy" Surname 21.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Darcy?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Darcy are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition