Lucey Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Lucey Family History

Lucey Family History

The family history of the ancient name Lucey was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Lucey include Lucy and Luce. This is a baptismal name meaning, 'the son of Lucy' a name of great antiquity. This name is of English descent and is found in many ancient manuscripts in that country. Examples of such are a Roger Lucie, of County Norfolk, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273 and an Alice Luce, of County Hertfordshire, who was also recorded in the same year in this ancient document. Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or as gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals.

In Ireland this name and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers who arrived from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century. During the 'Plantations of Ireland' in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ireland was colonized by the English Crown with this period marking the end of Gaelic supremacy in Ireland. This period brought an influx of settlers into the country but, unlike the earlier Anglo-Norman invasion of the twelfth century that resulted in a full integration into Irish society of the new arrivals, the same never occurred with the Ulster Planters who maintained their own distinct identity.

Lucey is also of Norman origin and has existed as 'de Lucey'. The Gaelic forms of the name are O'Luasaigh and MacCluasaigh and are found mostly in the County Cork area.The Lucey family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Lucey descendants.