Luce
A surname that can come from the medieval personal name Lucius or from the older surname Lucy/De Luci.
The #3,672 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,816 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Luce is usually explained as deriving from the Latin personal name Lucius, which is related to the Latin root for "light." In some cases it may also be a shortened or altered form of Lucy, the medieval surname De Luci, which points to the Norman place-name Luci in Normandy. Because of this overlap, the name can be either a patronymic from a given name or a surname inherited through the Lucy/De Luci line.
History
Medieval records show spellings such as de Locie, fil. Luce, and similar forms in England as early as the 13th century. Later English and American bearers may reflect both the ancient Lucius-based surname and the Lucy/De Luci family tradition. The name also appears in Protestant and other later records as a relatively uncommon surname form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same surname form could be read in more than one way historically: in some lines it points back to the Roman name Lucius, while in others it preserves a Norman place-name connection through Lucy/De Luci.
From the historical record
“dear, beloved. LUCE. 1. From Lucius. 2. Perhaps sometimes from the surname Lucy, anciently De Luci; from Luci, a parish of Nor- mandy, arrond. Neuf chattel. LUCK, LUCKE, LUCKY. I. From Luke. 2. From Lucca, in Italy. There is however the G. Gliick. LUCKY. See LUCK. LUMBER. See LIMBER. LUSH. From Lusk, a parish of…”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames