Posey
Usually an English-style surname that likely began as a nickname or altered form, possibly linked to a personal name or a flower-related byname.
The #1,773 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,237 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Posey is not securely explained by these excerpts. Nineteenth-century surname writers connect it with French-looking personal-name forms such as Pousset or Posset, which suggests it may have developed as a pet form or altered surname rather than from a clear occupational or place-name meaning. In English-speaking usage it can also be associated by resemblance with the word "posy" (a small bouquet or flower), though that may be folk association rather than the true origin.
History
The name appears in English-language records as a minority surname and is found in the United States by the 19th century. In modern America it is best known as a family name, and its spelling may reflect Anglicized or simplified forms of older French or English names. Because the historical evidence here is thin and partly incidental, the exact pathway into the surname remains uncertain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century name collectors grouped Posey with flower-inspired surnames like Lily, Rose, and Garland, even though that may reflect sound association more than the true etymology.
From the historical record
“Dch. Portheine; p.n. Posey. Fr. Pousset ; a p.n. Posselt. See Postlethwaite Postel, Postle. N.-Fr. ; p.n. petit poteati (post, stake)”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)