Lacey
A chiefly locational surname, usually traced to Norman de Laci, from a place in Normandy.
The #1,930 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,518 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lacey is generally treated as a later spelling of Lacy, from the Norman surname de Laci. The name is usually linked to a place in Normandy, commonly identified with Lassy in Calvados, though 19th-century writers also discussed other possible local forms. In origin it likely meant simply “from Laci/Lassy,” not a descriptive word in English.
History
The name was brought to England after the Norman Conquest, where bearers such as Roger de Laci and Ilbert de Laci became prominent landholders. English spelling later varied between Lacy and Lacey, with Lacey becoming a common modern form. In Ireland, the surname can also appear among Anglo-Norman families, and some later records show it alongside Gaelicized or variant spellings.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The de Laci family became one of the major Norman aristocratic houses in medieval England, especially associated with Pontefract.
From the historical record
“Wem, CO. Salop. LACEY. See Lacy. LACY. Roger de Laci, eldest son of Walter de L., came over with William the Conqueror, and was rewarded with the tenure in capite of IIG lordships. To Ilbert de Laci the Conqueror gave the castle and town of Pontefract, co. York, with 164 lordships. Kelham's Domesday. The two were…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom