Darcy: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Darcy is an Irish name for girls and boys meaning “dark, descendant of the dark one.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Dark, descendant of the dark one
- Gender
- Girl or boy
- Also spelled
- Darcie, D’Arcy
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 247 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Darcy?
Darcy is pronounced DAR-see. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. Other spellings: Darcie and D’Arcy.
What does Darcy mean?
Darcy has two separate roots. In Ireland it is often an anglicized form of the surname Ó Dorchaidhe, “descendant of Dorchaidhe,” a personal name meaning “dark man,” from dorcha “dark.” Families of the name lived at Partry in County Mayo and in County Galway, and the Darcys became one of the fourteen Tribes of Galway, one of only two of Gaelic Irish rather than Anglo-Norman origin.
In England, Darcy comes from the Norman French d’Arcy, “from Arcy,” a town in Normandy, and Jane Austen made it famous through Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (1813). Today it is used as a first name for both girls and boys.
Sources: Behind the Name, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), Wikipedia.
How popular is Darcy in Ireland?
In 2025, 17 baby girls in Ireland were named Darcy, which made it No. 247 that year. That's down from No. 146 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 2016, when 43 baby girls were named Darcy, No. 137 that year. It's given to boys too: 3 baby boys were named Darcy in 2025, No. 829 for boys. It first appears in the records in 1998, with 3 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | No. 247 |
| 2024 | 17 | No. 243 |
| 2023 | 22 | No. 202 |
| 2022 | 21 | No. 214 |
| 2021 | 22 | No. 209 |
| 2020 | 28 | No. 168 |
| 2019 | 29 | No. 177 |
| 2018 | 23 | No. 211 |
| 2017 | 40 | No. 142 |
| 2016 | 43 | No. 137 |
| 2015 | 40 | No. 146 |
| 2014 | 31 | No. 174 |
| 2013 | 40 | No. 148 |
| 2012 | 24 | No. 225 |
| 2011 | 21 | No. 250 |
| 2010 | 12 | No. 395 |
| 2009 | 15 | No. 314 |
| 2008 | 9 | No. 469 |
| 2007 | 19 | No. 251 |
| 2006 | 8 | No. 431 |
| 2005 | 5 | No. 523 |
| 2004 | 5 | No. 511 |
| 2003 | 4 | No. 559 |
| 2002 | 4 | No. 512 |
| 2001 | 3 | No. 606 |
| 1998 | 3 | No. 498 |
Darcy in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Darcy, letter by letter.
- DDair, oak
- AAilm, pine
- RRuis, elder
- CColl, hazel
- IIodhadh, yew
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Darcy
Questions about Darcy
- How do you pronounce Darcy?
- Darcy is pronounced DAR-see. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Darcy mean?
- Darcy means “dark, descendant of the dark one.”
- Is Darcy a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Darcy is used for both girls and boys. In Ireland today, most babies given the name are girls.
- How popular is Darcy in Ireland?
- In 2025, Darcy was No. 247 for girls in Ireland, with 17 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 2016, at No. 137.