Stacey
An English surname usually understood as a form of Stace, itself a pet form of Eustace.
The #3,720 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,431 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most historical surname dictionaries treat Stacey as a variant of Stace, a nickname or shortened form of Eustace. The ultimate root is the Greek name Eustachys, meaning “fruitful” or “bountiful,” which passed into Latin and then Norman French before becoming an English personal name. In surname use, Stacey therefore began as a patronymic surname meaning “son or descendant of Stace/Eustace.”
History
Bardsley and Lower both connect Stacey with Stace and Stacekin, treating it as a diminutive or derivative form. Barber also gives Stacey as coming from St. Eustace, reinforcing the same personal-name origin. The surname is well established in England and later appears in overseas English-speaking records, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname collections, Stacey is often grouped with Stacy and Stace as part of the same family of names from Eustace.
From the historical record
“STACEKYN. A diminutive of Stace. STACEY. See Stace. STACY. See Stace. STACK. A precipitous rock. Jamie- son. STA 327”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom