Stacy

Stacy is a feminine given name of Greek origin. It derives from the ancient Greek name Stachia, which itself is a feminine form of the masculine name Stachys. The root of the name is "stachys," meaning "an ear of grain."

The name Stachys appears in the New Testament of the Bible, where it refers to one of the seventy disciples sent out by Jesus Christ to preach the gospel. The name was fairly uncommon in ancient Greece but saw some usage in the Byzantine Empire period.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Stacy was Stacy de Hudituna, an English woman mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name also appears occasionally in medieval English records and literature, such as in the 14th-century work "The Vision of Piers Plowman" by William Langland.

In the 16th century, Stacy was the name of a character in the play "Gammer Gurton's Needle" by Mr. S., one of the earliest known comedic plays in English literature. The name gained some popularity in England during this period.

A notable historical figure with the name Stacy was Stacy Towles (1590-1644), an English clergyman and academic who served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1628 to 1629.

In the 18th century, Stacy Markham (1717-1804) was an English politician and member of parliament for the Borough of Okehampton from 1768 to 1790.

The name Stacy also appeared in America during the colonial era. Stacy Cornbury (1656-1692) was one of the early settlers of Burlington, New Jersey, and a prominent Quaker leader in the region.

Another notable American bearer of the name was Stacy Lloyd (1738-1826), a Quaker minister and abolitionist from Maryland who was active in the Underground Railroad.

Stacy Potts (1799-1865) was an American politician who served as the 13th Governor of Virginia from 1858 to 1861, during the turbulent period leading up to the American Civil War.