Lacy Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Lacy Family History

Lacy Family History

The family history of the ancient name Lacy 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 Lacy include Lassey, de Lacy, Lacey and Leacy. The de Lacys of Ireland, more commonly now called Lacy or Lacey, arrived in the country during the twelfth century with the Anglo-Norman invasion led by the famous Strongbow. They originally arrived in England from Lascy in Normandy in the previous century, with William the Conqueror. In the sixteenth century the Lacys of Bruff and Bruree spelt their name Leash, as well as Lacy. Leash, of course, is phonetically equivalent to the Irish form Leis. Despite this, the Lacys are undoubtedly of Norman origin and are historically intimately connected with County Limerick. Though the name is still found in Limerick and other parts of Munster, the ancestral estates of the de Lacys, which were at Ballingarry, Bruff and Bruree, have long since passed into other hands.The Lacy 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 Lacy descendants.