Stracey

This interesting surname is believed to be a form of the Scottish Strachan, itself being a locational name for a place in the parish of Banchory, near Kincardine, which is first recorded in 1153 in the form "Strateyham", and perhaps gets its name from the Gaelic "srath", valley, plus "eachain", foal; hence "valley where foals are kept". It may also be from the village of Strathy in the old kingdom of Strathclyed (pre 9th Century), deriving from the Gaelic "srath" valley plus the Olde English pre 7th Century "eg", an island, probably referring to a fertile grassy patch of land in a boggy valley. The surname is first found in the early half of the 16th Century (see below). Recordings of the surname from the London Church Registers include: Robert Stracy, who was christened on February 7th 1590, at St. John's, Hackney; and the marriage of Alice Stracey to Richard Granger, which took place on May 6th 1594, in the same place. It has also been suggested that the surname is a contracted form of St. Theresa but there is no evidence to prove this. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of George Stracye, which was dated April 13th 1538, a christening witness at St. James Garlickhithe, London, during the reign of King Henry V111, known as "Bluff King Hal", 1509 - 1547. 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.