Origin: |
Lucy is the anglicised form of Lucia, the feminine form of the Roman praenomen Lucius. Both Lucia and Lucius are derived from the Latin lux meaning "of light". |
Usage: |
Lucius was one of the three most common praenomina in the Roman world, and, as such, Lucia was also abundant in antiquity. Lucia of Syracuse (283–304), known as Saint Lucy or Saint Lucia, was a Christian martyr who died during the reign of Diocletian. She is one of eight women, including the Virgin Mary, explicitly commemorated by Roman Catholics in the Canon of the Mass. Her traditional feast day on 13th December is still widely observed across Europe. As her feast once coincided with the Winter Solstice, so St Lucia's Day has become a festival of light. It is mostly thanks to Saint Lucia that her name became so prevalent in the Middle Ages. Lucia itself later became the Italian, Spanish, German and Portuguese form of the name. In Britain, Lucia was used in Latin records but women were known by the vernacular form Luce, Lucy and Lucie. The surnames Luce, Lucy and Lucey derive from this source. By the 14th century, Redmonds calculates that Lucy was #28 for women living in 1377-81 amongst ten English counties which puts it in moderate use. Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England shows that Lucy was in consistent moderate use: Dunkling puts Lucy at #36 in 1700 and #22 in 1800. The Latinised form Lucia came into its own usage in the 16th century alongside the elaborated form Lucinda. The name remained at top 30 staple right up to the mid-19th century. It was in the top 100 of England and Wales up until 1924, falling below until it triumphantly returned in the 1970s. Records for Lucy from the England and Wales Birth Index:
Lucy declined in usage from 2010 onward. In 2018, Lucy ranked #61 with 910 births in England and Wales. In Scotland, Lucy was later to catch on, but it has seen a longer period in the top 10 than in England and Wales. Lucy reached the top 100 of Scotland in 1979 and the top 50 in 1993. Lucy first reached the Scottish top 10 in 2003 where it remained for fourteen years until 2016. In 2018, Lucy ranked #14 in Scotland with 221 births.
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Famous Bearers: |
History: * Lucy Barnes (1780-1809), American writer. Contemporary: * Lucy Fisher (born 1949), American film producer.* Lucy Turnbull (born 1958), Australian businesswoman, philanthropist, former local government politician, and former First Lady of Australia. * Lucy Lawless (born 1968), New Zealand actress and singer. * Lucy Liu (born 1968), American actress. * Lucy Alexander (born 1971), British television presenter. * Lucy Davis (born 1973), British actress. * Lucy Worsley (born 1973), British historian. * Lucy Punch (born 1977), British actress. * Lucy Boynton (born 1994), British actress. * Lucy Fallon (born 1995), British actress. Literature and Other Media: * Lucy Pevensie, a character in the Chronicles of Narnia book series and the film series adaptation. |
Variants: |
Lucie (French), Lucia (Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak), Lleucu, Liwsi (Welsh), Liusaidh (Gaelic) |
Pronunciation: |
LOO-see [key] |
Possible diminutives: |
Lu, Luce |
Sibling Names: |
Emma Charlotte Grace Alice Emily Sophie |
Name Lists: |
Medieval Favourites Gorgeously Georgian Victorian Darlings Austen Names Enid Blyton Names |
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Thanks to Andrea for requesting this name.