unisex name
Darcy
DAR-see
- Origin French
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 42,086
the United States
#858
2025 births
Darcy is a name of Norman French origin meaning "from Arcy," a place in Normandy. The widely given meaning "dark" belongs to a separate Irish surname that anglicized to the same spelling.
- Darcy is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in US records in 1970, when 761 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,401 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- Darcy started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1915.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Darcy over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. Darcy is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 50 |
| 1920s | 99 |
| 1930s | 97 |
| 1940s | 504 |
| 1950s | 3,257 |
| 1960s | 6,199 |
| 1970s | 5,512 |
| 1980s | 3,558 |
| 1990s | 2,034 |
| 2000s | 1,441 |
| 2010s | 1,862 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,590 |
What Darcy means
Darcy means from Arcy — a place name, not a description. The dark or dark-haired reading comes from the Irish Ó Dorchaidhe, from dorcha, and has attached itself to the Norman name.
Where Darcy comes from
Darcy comes from the Norman French d'Arcy, of Arcy, naming a family from one of several places called Arcy in Normandy; they came to England with the Conquest and appear in the Domesday Book. The Irish Ó Dorchaidhe, from dorcha meaning dark, was separately anglicized as Darcy, and the two are unrelated. Jane Austen's Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice of 1813 gave the name its enduring associations, and Bridget Jones's Diary revived them in 1996.
Darcy in use
Our data records Darcy for both sexes and marks it reviving, peaking in 1970, at 140 in England and Wales. Darcie, the -ie respelling, sits at 92 — so the respelling now outranks the original, the same pattern seen with Robyn over Robin and Louie over Louis.
How popular is Darcy?
In 2025, Darcy was given to 376 babies in England and Wales, ranking #140 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Darcy is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
How Darcy is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| D'arcy | D'arcy is Darcy written with an apostrophe, recorded mostly in Canada. | 296 |
Names that peaked alongside Darcy
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Darcy also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Darcy over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Darcy
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Darcy in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Darcy
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Darcy — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Darcy
What does the name Darcy mean?
Darcy means "from Arcy," a place in Normandy. The "dark" reading belongs to a separate Irish surname.
Is Darcy a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. Our data records it as unisex, though the Austen association has made it predominantly female in Britain.
Is Darcie more popular than Darcy?
In England and Wales, yes — Darcie sits at 92 against Darcy at 140.
How many syllables are in Darcy?
Darcy has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Darcy?
Darcy is usually shortened to Dee and Dar.
Is Darcy a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Darcy currently ranks #102 in the United States. After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.