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Melanie,
The d'Arcy name, in France, is associated with a few families of the old nobility. At least two current noble titles existing in France belong to descendants of the English House of d'Arcy. This family had ranked among the most ancient noble houses in England since coming from France with the Duke of Normandy in 1066, but began to fall into disfavor and suspicion with the Crown during Henry VIII's split with Rome. By this time, certain branches of the original (French) d'Arcy family had long held positions with the Royal administration in Ireland, so there existed families among the English aristocracy and gentry seated both in England and Ireland during the Tudor Dynasty.
By the time of the Puritan revolution, the name of Darcy was closely associated with Catholic intrigue; ultimately certain parts of the family went into exile with the Stuart court in France, where they were reinstated into the French aristocracy by Louis XIV and effectively the family became French again and remains so.
Back in England, the "daughtered out" titles lapsed into Protestant families who had married Darcy heiresses. That is the condition of any remaining English titles associated with the Darcy name today. The direct lines, as I explain above, were transferred to France to become part of that nation's history.
Concurrently, a certain native Irish clan began styling itself "Darcy" and "d'Arcy", since their Gaelic name could be loosely anglicized in that way. Increasingly the generations of this clan invented, for reasons of prestige, an association with the Anglo-Norman house of d'Arcy. They had no ancestral relationship, but this name and affected spelling "d'Arcy" proliferated in Ireland and was brought in that form to North America by 19th-century Irish immigrants.
Much earlier, one of the native Irish "d'Arcy"s, Edward d'Arcy, established himself in the Maryland Colony. His family almost immediately began using "Dorsey". The original Dorsey estate, Hockley, pattented in 1634, remains today in Anne Arundel County. These Dorseys continued in prominence and the name is closely associated with the political and social history of that state.
At the same time, the brothers James and John d'Arcy, documented sons of the Anglo-Norman house, settled on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where many of their descendants also began to use the spelling "Dorsey", probably in order to promote the illusion of kinship with the Anne Arundel Dorseys. Ironic, considering the historic sham of that family's pedigree!
James's and John's descendants remaining in Maryland kept the name as "Dorsey", but those who went to Georgia around the time of the American Revolution used "Darsey". The spelling "Darsey" is still used in Georgia and further west to Texas, where three branches of Georgia Darseys moved following the Civil War.
So to respond to your question, "d'Arcy"--spelled like that--has different connatations in different placed. In the United States, as spelled "d'Arcy", the name points to working-class, potato famine origins, since the name here had degenerated to "Dorsey" or "Darsey" by the time immigrants arrived with "d'Arcy" in the 19th Century.
In England, "d'Arcy" has a certain mystery. It connotes an ancient family with Latin origins, ties to Catholicism and the French court. The old order. It is a rarified and tragic name used to great effect by Jane Austen in her character "Mr. Darcy".
Does this help a little? As far as your French passport project goes, I would first document your grandfather and renew ties with his family in France. The name is well respected in that country, not only because of its aristocratic associations, but also because the family produced a famous scientist/engineer from Dijon who was responsible for significant advances in modern water pumping systems. I think there is even a "D'Arcy's Law" and a unit of measure called the "darcy" in that field.
If you're interested, look into the "Dorsey DNA Project" postings on this website. I have been hoping to see some French d'Arcys participate and help to finally solve the Darcy ancestry riddle. My guess is that they will end up matching the Georgia Darseys.
Best,
Joseph Warner
great-grandson of Mildred Darsey
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