Tracy (name)

Tracy (/ˈtreɪsi/; also spelled Tracey, Traci, Tracie, or Trasci) is originally a British personal name, that refers to the family de Tracy or de Trasci from Tracy-Bocage in Normandy, France. There are several places called Tracy in Northern France and are themselves a combination of the Gaulish male's name Draccios', or Latin Thracius, and the well-identified Celtic suffix -āko (place, property).

Contents

• Surname
• First name
• Middle name
• References

While the name is unisex, within the United Kingdom it is more generally considered to be a female name, perhaps in part because of its association with the "Essex girl". Particularly during the 1980s, alongside the name Sharon, it was a name considered to be archetypal of the Essex girl. Its popularity peaked during the 1960s, when Tracey was the sixth most popular female name and the alternate spelling Tracy was the 12th most popular in 1964.

The Irish name Tracey 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."