Tracy (name)


Tracy, is an English given name and surname. As a British personal name, it was originally adopted from Norman surnames such as those of the family de Tracy or de Trasci from Tracy-Bocage in Normandy, France. Derived from the Gaulish male name Draccios, or Latin Thracius, and the well-identified Celtic suffix -āko, such Norman surnames themselves sprang from several Tracy place-names in France.
The Irish surname Tracey, which may similarly have contributed to the adoption of the English personal name, 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."
According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Tracys were one of the chiefly families of the Uí Bairrche who were a tribe of the Erainn who were the second wave of Celts to settle in Ireland between about 500 and 100 BC.
As a given name for girls, Tracy is a traditional English hypocorism for the name Teresa.

Cultural influences

Usage of the name for boys was popularized by Dick Tracy, a fictional police detective in the American comic strip Dick Tracy, which has been in syndication since 1931, and by the fame of American actor Spencer Tracy.
It was popularized as a name for girls by Tracy Lord, a beautiful heiress played by Katharine Hepburn in the 1940 American romantic comedy film The Philadelphia Story and by Grace Kelly in the 1956 American romantic comedy musical film High Society, a remake of the 1940 film. Usage in the United States might have been affected by Tracy Ann Boyle, the daughter of newspaper columnist Hal Boyle. Boyle wrote about his daughter from the time he adopted her in 1953 until the early 1970s and her photograph was occasionally published in newspapers nationwide. Tracy, a bubblegum pop song by American band The Cufflinks, was released in 1969 and was a hit song throughout the English-speaking world. The song likely also influenced the popularity of the name in 1970. Another influence was the character Tracy Bond, the doomed wife of British secret agent James Bond in the film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, which was released in December 1969.

Given name

Australia

Tracy ranked among the 100 most popular names for girls in Australia between 1960 and 1981.

Canada

Tracy ranked among the 100 most popular names for Canadian girls between 1957 and 1984 and was among the ten most popular names for Canadian girls between 1969 and 1973.

France

Tracy was among the top 500 names for French girls between 1989 and 2003. It peaked in use in 1991, when it was ranked No. 169 on the French popularity chart.

Great Britain

In England and Wales, the name Tracy was not unknown but unusual, with about two a year from 1837 until 1955, after which the name quite suddenly became very popular, rising to a maximum of 7,667 girls being given that name in 1964. After 1970 the popularity quickly declined to 475 in 1985. It was among the top 100 names for girls in Scotland between 1964 and 1987. It peaked in popularity in 1970, when it was the 10th most popular name for Scottish girls.


  • YearNumber registered
    1836–184715
    1846–18577
    1856–186714
    1866–187719
    1876–188740
    1886–189727
    1896–190721
    1906–19175
    1916–19275
    1926–19377
    19381
    19391
    19400
    19415
    19422
    19433
    19448
    19454
    19462
    19475
    19483
    19491
    19502
    19512
    19526
    19534
    195418
    195510
    195629

  • YearNumber registered
    1957271
    1958399
    1959536
    19601,163
    19612,640
    19622,857
    19634,546
    19647,667
    19657,222
    19667,034
    19676,052
    19686,117
    19695,188
    19707,737
    19716,453
    19725,096
    19733,861
    19743,219
    19752,789
    19762,036
    19772,340
    19782,315
    19792,056
    19801,734
    19811,319
    19821,052
    1983899
    1984830
    1985475

Ireland

Tracy was among the 100 most popular names for girls in Ireland between 1970 and 1988. It was most popular in 1971, when it was the 54th most popular names for Irish girls.

New Zealand

Tracy ranked among the 100 most popular names for girls in New Zealand between 1961 and 1985. It peaked in 1970, when it was the 11th most popular names for girls in New Zealand.

United States

Tracy, as a transferred use of the surname, has been in use as a masculine name in the United States since the 19th century. It was among the 1,000 most popular names for American boys between 1880 and 1999, was among the top 200 names for boys between 1959 and 1974, and was at the height of popularity as a male name between 1966 and 1967, when it ranked 98th on the U.S. popularity chart for boys.
The name Tracy has been in occasional use as an independent name since the 19th century for American girls and appeared sporadically among the 1,000 most popular names for American girls in the 1880s and 1890s. Tracy ranked among the 1,000 most popular given names for American girls between 1942 and 2004 and was among the top 100 names for American girls between 1960 and 1984. It peaked in 1970, when it was the 10th most popular name for American girls.

People

Surname

Tracy or Tracey

Trasci

Unrelated

De Tracy

Given name

Women

Tracey

Men

Tracey

Fictional characters