2000
#6,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,645
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.72
Rare Last name
Darcy
Derived from the French place name "Arcy," meaning "fortress" or "stronghold."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,421 Americans carry the last name Darcy. That puts it at #6,849 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,227 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Darcy surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Darcy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,227
Census rank
#6,849
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,727 bearers of the surname Darcy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6849th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Darcy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Darcy
The surname Darcy originated in Normandy, France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French place name "de Arceio" or "d'Arcy", which means "from Arcy". The name is believed to have been taken from one of several places in Normandy called Arcy or Arcis.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Darcy can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "de Arcis". This suggests that the name was already well-established in Normandy by the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
In the 12th century, the Darcy family held lands in Lincolnshire, England. One notable member of the family was Norman Darcy (c. 1170-1235), who served as Sheriff of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Darcy (c. 1285-1350), who was a member of the English Parliament and served as Lord Chamberlain to King Edward III.
During the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, the Darcy family remained loyal to the House of Lancaster. Sir John Darcy (c. 1415-1458) was a prominent Lancastrian supporter and fought alongside Henry VI at the Battle of Towton in 1461.
In the 16th century, the Darcy family continued to hold significant positions in English society. Thomas Darcy (c. 1506-1568) was an English courtier and politician who served as Lord Chamberlain under Queen Mary I. His son, John Darcy (c. 1532-1602), was also a prominent figure and served as Lord Lieutenant of the Tower of London.
The name Darcy has been associated with several notable literary figures throughout history. One of the most famous is the character of Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" (1813). While the character's name was likely inspired by the real-life Darcy family, Austen did not provide a specific origin for the name in her novel.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darcy
Among Census respondents with the surname Darcy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Darcy bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Darcy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 4,210
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 226
- Two or more races3.9% · 185
- Black or African American1.0% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Darcy
Darcy appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,876
+231 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 185 places
2020
#6,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,727
-149 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,709 | 4,645 | 1.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,894 | 4,876 | 1.65 | +231 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 185 places |
| 2020 | #6,849 | 4,727 | 1.58 | -149 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 45 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Darcy surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,894 | #6,849 | 0.7% |
| Count | 4,876 | 4,727 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.65 | 1.58 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Darcy bearers went from 4,876 to 4,727 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,894 to #6,849.
FAQ
Darcy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Darcy?
Name Census estimates that about 5,421 living Americans carry the surname Darcy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,227 residents.
How common is Darcy?
Darcy ranks #6,849 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,727 people with the surname Darcy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Darcy.
Has Darcy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Darcy went from 4,876 recorded bearers to 4,727. That is a decrease of 149 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,894 to #6,849.
What does the Census say about the background of Darcy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Darcy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Darcy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (4,210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Darcy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Darcy (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Darcy mean?
Derived from the French place name "Arcy," meaning "fortress" or "stronghold." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Darcy (1.58 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Darcy?
If you just want to know how common the surname Darcy is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.