Place
Dorsey surname meaning
An English habitational surname of French origin, from Orsay (Seine-et-Orne) or Orçay (Loir-et-Cher), with the French preposition d(e).
The short story
Dorsey is an English surname of French origin, a habitational name with the preposition d(e) from Orsay in Seine-et-Orne or Orçay in Loir-et-Cher. The place-name goes back to a Latin personal name Orcius plus the locative suffix -acum, recorded as Orceiacum in the thirteenth century. Dorcey, Dossey, and D'Orsay are related spellings. Irish Darcy from Ó Dorchaidhe is a separate “dark one” line that sometimes overlaps in American records. Place is the catalog type for the Orsay stream, and that reading is high confidence.
Also seen as: Dorsey, Dorcey, Dossey, D'Orsay, Orsay
Sources used
- Geneanet / DAFN entry for Dorsey (habitational from Orsay/Orçay; Latin Orcius + -acum)
- Wiktionary / English surname references for Dorsey (from Orsay)
- Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)