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

Lucey, 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 Lucey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lucey in America

Lucey is the 11179th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lucey surname appeared 2,829 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lucey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lucey 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 Lucey

The surname Lucey is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Lughaidh, which means "follower of Lugha", a pagan Celtic god of arts and crafts. The name was initially anglicized to Lughaidhe and later evolved into Lucey.

The Lucey name was primarily found in County Cork, where it was prominent in the baronies of Muskerry and Duhallow. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is believed to be de Luce, which appeared in the Pipe Rolls of County Cork in the late 13th century.

One of the earliest known references to the Lucey name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle written in the late 12th century. The annals mention a "Lughaidh Ua Lucey" who was a prominent figure in County Cork during that period.

In the 16th century, the Lucey family held significant landholdings in the Muskerry region of County Cork. Several members of the family are recorded in the Fiants (official government records) during this time, including John Lucey, who was granted lands in Muskerry in 1586.

Notable figures with the surname Lucey include:

1. John Lucey (1551-1611), an Irish Catholic priest and educator who founded a school in Muskerry, County Cork.
2. Patrick Lucey (1761-1833), an Irish Catholic priest and author who wrote extensively on Irish history and culture.
3. Robert Lucey (1891-1957), an American politician who served as the Governor of Wisconsin from 1935 to 1939.
4. Ollie Lucey (1904-1992), an Irish hurler who played for the Cork senior hurling team and won three All-Ireland medals.
5. Mary Lucey (1925-2003), an Irish novelist and short story writer known for her works depicting rural life in County Cork.

The Lucey name has also been associated with various place names in County Cork, such as Lucey's Cross, Lucey's Bridge, and Luceyville, reflecting the family's historical presence in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lucey

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

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 Lucey 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 Lucey 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 Lucey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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