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

Lucy, 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 Lucy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lucy in America

Lucy is the 10405th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lucy surname appeared 3,096 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 Lucy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lucy 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 Lucy

The surname Lucy originates from England and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Luce," which was a feminine form of the Latin name "Lucius." The name Lucius itself is believed to come from the Latin word "lux," meaning "light."

Lucy is considered a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of the name likely came from a place called Lucy or Lucey. There are several villages and towns in England with this name, such as Lucy in Northamptonshire and Lucey in Somerset.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lucy can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Lucia" in Hampshire.

In the 13th century, a prominent figure named William Lucy was recorded as a nobleman and landowner in Warwickshire. He was born around 1230 and played a significant role in the Second Barons' War against King Henry III.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Sir Thomas Lucy, who lived from 1532 to 1605. He was an English Member of Parliament and is believed to have been the inspiration for the character Sir Thomas Lucy in William Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor."

Sir Spencer Lyle Lucy, born in 1816, was a British naval officer and explorer. He served in the Royal Navy and is known for his exploration of the Arctic regions.

In the literary world, Austen Lucy was a renowned English novelist who lived from 1874 to 1932. She is best known for her novel "The Masqueraders," published in 1904.

Henry W. Lucy, born in 1845, was a British journalist and author. He is remembered for his works on parliamentary life and his coverage of the British House of Commons.

Throughout history, the surname Lucy has been found in various spellings, such as Lucey, Lucie, and Luce, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lucy

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

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

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

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