Recorded in many spellings including Passy, Passie, Peacey, Peachey, Petchey, Pacey, Piosey, Pockey and even Pucky and Puckey, this is an English surname, but one of French locational origins. Introduced into England by soldiers of William, the Conqueror, in 1066, it derives from from any of the various places called Pacy, from the pre 7th century Gallo-Roman personal name Paccius, such as Pacy-sur-Eure in the former dukedom of Normandy. The surname first appears on record in England in the mid 12th century, (see below), and other early recordings include: Robert de Pacy, in the Curia Regis Rolls of Warwickshire in the year 1214; Hugo Pacy in the Hundred Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1273; and Robert de Pascy, in the Lincolnshire Hundred Rolls also in 1273. Later entries in the church registers of the diocese of Greater London include the christening of Jane Pacy in St. Dionis Backchurch on September 22nd 1540, the marriage of Elizabeth Passey and William Hotchkin at St. Brides Fleet Street on July 27th 1625, and the christening of Elizabeth Puckey, the daughter of Thomas Puckey, at St Brides Fleet Street, on Novembetr 21st 1724. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Peissi. This was dated 1158, in the "Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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