MACE
Mace is an English surname that can be traced back to the early medieval period. It originates in the British Isles, specifically England, and is borne by Christians of English linguistic heritage.
The surname is believed to arise from the medieval personal name Mace, which was a shortened form of Matthew. The name Matthew itself comes from the Hebrew Matityahu, meaning “Gift of God”, and was popularised in England by its biblical significance. In the early Middle Ages, the personal names Mace and Masse were used as pet forms of Matthew, as evidenced by early records such as Masse (1177, Suffolk) and Macius (1273, Devonshire). A notable instance of the surname is Adam Mace, recorded in the Oxfordshire Hundred Rolls of 1276, and the earliest documented spelling appears in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk (1194), where the name was rendered as Osbert Masse during the reign of King Richard I.
Alternative derivations for the name Mace are also documented. It may have been a nickname for a person noted for strength or aggressiveness, a reference to the heavy medieval weapon known as a mace. A further possibility is that the name is topographic, derived from the Old English word for a boundary or border, suggesting that the bearers lived near a significant territorial limit.
The earliest recorded uses of the personal name suggest an ancient Germanic origin. The Old English segments Maessa, Maersa, and Maersige all point to a meaning of “glorious victory”. A cognate exists in Old High German as Mas(s)o. This linguistic connection is reflected in the place-name Massingham in Norfolk, where the first element is derived from the Old English form of Mace.
A Devonshire family bearing the name was granted a coat of arms which features a blue shield with a silver chevron, two gold mullets positioned in chief, and a silver gauntlet in base holding a gold mace. This blazon has become an emblematic representation of the Mace surname.
In the early seventeenth century, members of the family migrated to the American colonies. John Mace, aged twenty, departed London aboard the vessel “America” in June 1635, bound for Virginia, marking the first known transatlantic movement of the name.
Typical given names associated with the Mace surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Caroline
- Charlotte
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jean
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Sarah
- 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 Mace in...
Braille
⠍⠁⠉⠑
Morse
--.--.-..
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Mace are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Dark Chocolate Digestive.
There are approximately 5,606 people named Mace in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,687th most common surname in Britain. Around 86 in a million people in Britain are named Mace.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Mace
- Georgina Mace - Ecologist
- Jem Mace - Boxer (1831 to 1910)
- Arthur Cruttenden Mace - Egyptologist (1874 to 1928)
- Joe Mace - Television presenter
- John Mace - Australian cricketer (1828 to 1905)
- Christopher Mace - Cricketer (1830 to 1907)
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.