Tracy (name) explained

Tracy
Gender:Unisex
Related Names:Tracey, Traci

Tracy (; also spelled Tracey, Traci, Tracci, Tracee, Treacy or Tracie, or Trasci), as a British personal name, was originally adopted from Norman surnames such as those of the family de Tracy or de Trasci from Tracy-Bocage in Normandy, France. Derived from the Gaulish male name Draccios, or Latin Thracius ("of Thrace, Thracian"), and the well-identified Celtic suffix -āko ("place, property"), such Norman surnames themselves sprung from several Tracy place-names in France.[1]

The Irish surname Tracey, which may similarly have contributed to the adoption of the English personal name, is derived from the native Irish O'Treasaigh septs. The name is taken from the Irish word "treasach" meaning "war-like" or "fighter". It is also translated as "higher", "more powerful" or "superior". It may also be derived from the Irish word for three, with an association to the Tuatha Dé Danann. The first reference to the surname in the Irish Annals was in 1008: "Gussan, son of Ua Treassach, lord of Ui-Bairrche, died."

According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Tracys were one of the chiefly families of the Uí Bairrche who were a tribe of the Erainn who were the second wave of Celts to settle in Ireland between about 500 and 100 BC.[2]

Given name

Great Britain

In England and Wales, the name Tracy was not unknown, but unusual, with about two a year, from 1837 until 1955, when, following the success of the American film star Spencer Tracy, the name quite suddenly became very popular, rising to a maximum of 7667 babies being given that name in 1964, but after 1970 the popularity quickly declined to 475 in 1985.[3]

People

Surname

Tracy or Tracey

Trasci

Unrelated (pronounced "trashee")

De Tracy

Given name

Women

Tracey
Traci
Tracie
Tracy

Men

Tracey
Tracy

Fictional characters

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. [Albert Dauzat]
  2. Book: Cairney, C. Thomas . 1989 . Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland . Jefferson, North Carolina, United States, and London . . 61, 70-71 . 0899503624.
  3. Data extracted from FreeBMD database.Web site: FreeBMD . www.freebmd.org.uk.