Find out how popular the last name Lacey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lacey.

Lacey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lacey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lacey in America

Lacey is the 1930th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lacey surname appeared 18,691 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Lacey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lacey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lacey

The surname Lacey is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word "lacee", meaning "lace" or "braid". It is thought to have originated in the late 11th century when the Normans invaded England and brought their language and culture with them.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lacey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Laci" or "de Laceio". This suggests that the name was initially a locative surname, referring to someone from a place called Lacy or Laci.

In the 12th century, the Lacey family became prominent landowners in Lincolnshire, England. One notable member was Walter de Lacy, who was granted the lordship of Meath in Ireland by King Henry II in the late 12th century. The Laceys were also associated with the town of Pontefract in Yorkshire, where they held the castle and lands.

By the 13th century, the name had spread across England and had variations in spelling, including Lacy, Lacye, and Lascy. Notable bearers of the name during this period include Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln (1251-1311), and Edmund de Lacy, Bishop of Exeter (c. 1230-1310).

In the 14th century, the Lacey name can be found in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Lacy". Sir John Lacy (c. 1335-1390) was a notable military commander during the Hundred Years' War.

During the 15th century, the Laceys continued to be a prominent family in England, with members such as Thomas Lacy (c. 1370-1455), who was a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire. The name also appeared in Ireland, where the Lacys had established themselves as Anglo-Norman nobility.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Lacey, including John Lacy (1615-1681), an English actor and playwright; Michael Lacey (1844-1936), a Canadian politician; and John Fletcher Lacey (1824-1913), a U.S. Congressman from Iowa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lacey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lacey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lacey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lacey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lacey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lacey, please contact us.

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