FACEY
Facey is a surname of English origin, attested within the British Isles and particularly in England. It is recorded as belonging to Christian families and reflects the linguistic traditions of the English language.
The earliest derivation of the name is from the Middle English word facy or facye, meaning face. In medieval naming practice it was common to use a nickname based on a distinctive physical trait; thus a person with a highly recognisable or notable visage might have been called Facey as a descriptive surname.
Another tradition associates the name with an Anglo‑Norman–French term, enveisie, meaning playful or merry. This word derives from Old French envoisie which, through envoisier, carries the sense of to sport or enjoy oneself. The Latinised form invitiare gives the linguistic root vitium referring to pleasure. The Domesday Book of 1086 records a bearer of the Latinised surname Robertus Invesiatus, thereby showing the early presence of this linguistic lineage.
Throughout the centuries the name has appeared in a wide range of spellings, including Vaise, Veyse, Veysy, Fasey, Voysey and Pheazey. Historical documentation records individuals such as Adam le Veyse in 1270 at Somerset, William Veysy in 1357 at Cheshire, Robert Feysy in 1395 at Nottinghamshire and John Vasey in 1456 at Suffolk, illustrating the geographical spread and orthographic diversity of the surname.
The earliest surviving reference to the family name appears in the records of Rievelleaux Abbey in Yorkshire, where a christening is dated to 1131 for Robert Lenveiset. This document falls within the reign of King Henry I, also known as “The Lion of Justice”, who ruled from 1100 to 1135.
An example of a later, socially significant event involving the name is the deed of marriage recorded on 22 July 1641 between Anthony Facey and Blanch Sampson at St. Dunstan’s in Stepney. This record confirms the continued use of the surname into the early modern period.
Typical given names associated with the Facey surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Amanda
- Emma
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Pauline
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Facey in...
Braille
⠋⠁⠉⠑⠽
Morse
..-..--.-..-.--
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,710 people named Facey in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,798th most common surname in Britain. Around 26 in a million people in Britain are named Facey.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Facey
- Shay Facey - Football player
- Delroy Facey - Football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.