The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, United Kingdom. It was from the

House of Percy The Percy family is an old English nobility, English noble family. They were among the oldest and most powerful noble families in Northern England for much of the Middle Ages. The noble family is known for its long rivalry with the House of Nev ...

, Norman lords of

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

, and derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in

. From there, it came into use as a mostly masculine and rarely feminine given name. It is also a short form of the given name

Percival Perceval (, also written Percival, Parzival, Parsifal), alternatively called Peredur (), is a figure in the legend of King Arthur, often appearing as one of the Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Tr ...

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...

, etc.

People

Surname

* Alf Percy, Scottish footballer *

Algernon Percy (disambiguation) Algernon Percy may refer to: * Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland (1602–1668), English military leader * Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley (1750–1830), peer known as Lord Algernon Percy from 1766–86 *Hon. Algernon Percy (diplomat) ...

* Charles H. Percy (1919–2011), American businessman and politician *

Eileen Percy Eileen Percy (21 August 1902 – 29 July 1973) was an Irish-born American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1917 and 1933. Biography Born in Belfast in August 1902, Percy lived in Brooklyn, New York, brie ...

(1900–1973), Irish-born American actress *

George Percy (governor) The Honourable George Percy ( – ) was an English people, English explorer, writer, and early Colonial Governor of Virginia. Early life Master George Percy (sometimes written as "Percie" or "Percye") was born in England, the youngest son of Hen ...

(1580–1632), English explorer, author, and colonial governor *

Henry Percy (disambiguation) Henry Percy may refer to: Baron Percy *Henry Percy, 1st Baron Percy (1273–1314), took an important part in the Scottish wars of Edward I; knighted, 1296: present at Bannockburn, 1314 * Henry Percy, 2nd Baron Percy of Alnwick (1299–1352), elde ...

Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland (14 August 174210 July 1817) was an officer in the British army and later a British peer. He participated in the Battles of Lexington and Concord an ...

(1742–1817), British lieutenant-general in the American Revolutionary War *

Isabelle Clark Percy West Isabelle Clark Percy West (née Percy; 1882 – 1976) was an American painter, printmaker, designer, and educator. She was known for landscape paintings, botanical paintings, and early etchings of the Pacific Coast. She was part of the founding fa ...

(1882–1976), American artist and educator *

James Gilbert Percy James Gilbert Percy (July 26, 1921 – September 16, 2015) was a United States Marine Corps officer. He was a flying ace credited with shooting down six Japanese aircraft and was awarded the Navy Cross during World War II. Early life James G. ...

(1921–2015), American Marine officer, flying ace and Navy Cross recipient *

John Percy (disambiguation) John Percy may refer to: * John Percy (Jesuit) (1569–1641), English Jesuit priest and controversialist * John Percy (metallurgist) (1817–1889), English physician and metallurgist * John de Percy, MP for Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is ...

LeRoy Percy LeRoy Percy (November 9, 1860December 24, 1929) was an American attorney, planter, and Democratic politician who served as a United States Senator from the state of Mississippi from 1910 to 1913. Percy was a grandson of Charles "Don Carlos" Pe ...

(1860–1929), American planter and politician * Pierre-Francois Percy (1754–1825), French surgeon *

Richard Percy Sir Richard Percy (died 1648) was an English soldier who served in Ireland during the 1590s.Falls p.216 He was part of the Percy Family, the son of Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland and younger brother of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northum ...

(died 1648), English soldier *

Samuel Percy Samuel Percy (1750–1820) was an Irish-born sculptor mainly working as a wax-modeller in England. He has a unique style, creating three dimensional miniature portraits in coloured wax. Life He was born and raised in Dublin and trained a ...

(1750-1820) Irish-born wax-modeller of portraits *

Thomas Percy (disambiguation) Thomas Percy may refer to: * Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester (1343–1403), English medieval nobleman * Thomas Percy (Pilgrimage of Grace) (1504–1537), executed as a leader of the Pilgrimage of Grace * Thomas Percy (fl. 1563), MP for Plympton ...

Walker Percy Walker Percy, Oblate of Saint Benedict, OblSB (May 28, 1916 – May 10, 1990) was an American writer whose interests included philosophy and semiotics. Percy is noted for his philosophical novels set in and around New Orleans; his first, ''Th ...

(1916–1990), American author *

William Percy (disambiguation) William Percy may refer to: *William de Percy (d.c. 1096/9), Anglo-Norman nobleman, crusader and founder of Whitby Abbey *William Percy (c.1337-1407), MP for Sussex (UK Parliament constituency), Sussex *William Percy (bishop) (1428–1462), British ...

Given name

Men

* Percy Abercrombie (1884–1964), Australian football player * Percy Addleshaw (1866–1916), English barrister and writer *

Percy Adlon Paul Rudolf Parsifal "Percy" Adlon (; 1 June 1935 – 10 March 2024) was a German director, screenwriter, and producer. He is associated with the New German Cinema movement (ca. 1965–1985), and is known for his strong female characters and po ...

(born 1935), German film and television director, writer, and producer *

Percy Barnevik Percy Nils Barnevik HonFREng (born 13 February 1941) is a Swedish business executive, best known as CEO and later Chairman of ABB 1988–2002, and for being the centre of a giant pension dispute that shook Sweden in 2003. He is the co-founder o ...

(born 1941), Swedish business executive *

Percy Williams Bridgman Percy Williams Bridgman (April 21, 1882 – August 20, 1961) was an American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1946 for his work on the physics of high pressures. He also wrote extensively on the scientific method and on other ...

(1882–1961), Nobel Prize winner in physics *

Percy Butler (disambiguation) Percy Butler may refer to: * Percy M. Butler (1912–2015), British zoologist and paleontologist * Percy Butler (American football) (born 2000), American football player {{hndis, Butler, Percy ...

, multiple people * Percie Charlton (1867–1954), Australian cricketer * Percy Cherrett (1899–1984), English footballer *

Percy Cox Major-general (United Kingdom), Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox, (20 November 1864 – 20 February 1937) was a British Indian Army officer and Colonial Office administrator in the Middle East. He was one of the major figures in the creati ...

(1864–1937), British administrator and diplomat *

Percy Dawson (disambiguation) Percy Dawson may refer to: * Percy Dawson (baseball), American baseballer * Percy Dawson (footballer) (1890–1974), English footballer with Hearts and Blackburn * Percy Dawson (lawyer) (1865–1916), Australian lawyer {{hndis, Dawson, Per ...

Percy Dearmer Percival Dearmer (27 February 1867 – 29 May 1936) was an English Anglican priest and liturgist best known as the author of ''The Parson's Handbook'', a liturgical manual for Anglican clergy, and as editor of ''The English Hymnal''. A lifelong ...

(1867–1936), English priest and liturgical writer *

Percy Dickie Percy Dickie (11 December 1907 – 1987) was a Scottish Association football, footballer who played as an Forward (association football)#Inside forward, inside forward or Midfielder#Wing half, left half. He began his senior career at hometown cl ...

(1907–1987), Scottish footballer with Aberdeen, St Johnstone, Blackburn *

Percy Edwards Percy Edwards (1 June 1908 – 7 June 1996) was an English animal impersonator, entertainer and ornithologist. Biography When he was a child, bird impressions were often done with the assistance of hands on the mouth, however he was able to ...

(1908–1996), English entertainer, ornithologist and animal impersonator *

Percy Faith Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian–American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of instrumental ballads and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizin ...

(1908–1976), Canadian-born bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor *

Percy Fawcett Percy Harrison Fawcett (18 August 1867 disappeared 29 May 1925) was a British geographer, artillery officer, cartographer, archaeologist and explorer of South America. He disappeared in 1925 (along with his eldest son, Jack, and one of Ja ...

(1867–?), British soldier, archaeologist and explorer * Percy Fernando, Sri Lankan Sinhala army major general * Percy French (1854–1920), Irish songwriter, entertainer and painter * Percy Gardner (1846–1937), English classical archaeologist *

Percy Grainger Percy Aldridge Grainger (born George Percy Grainger; 8 July 188220 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who moved to the United States in 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long and ...

(1882–1961), Australian-born composer and pianist * Percy Grant (Royal Navy officer) (1867–1952), Royal Navy admiral and Chief of Navy of the Royal Australian Navy * Percy Stickney Grant (1860–1927), American Episcopal priest *

Percy Greene Percy Greene (1897–1977) was an American newspaper editor, and journalist. Greene created the ''Jackson Advocate'', Mississippi's first and oldest black-owned newspaper. In the 1940s and 1950s, Greene had been a staunch civil rights activist; bu ...

(1897–1977) American newspaper editor and journalist * Percy Harvin (born 1988), American football player *

Percy Heath Percy Heath (April 30, 1923 – April 28, 2005) was an American jazz bassist, brother of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer Albert Heath, with whom he formed the Heath Brothers in 1975. Heath played with the Modern Jazz Quartet througho ...

(1923–2005), American jazz bassist *

Percy Helton Percy Alfred Helton (January 31, 1894 – September 11, 1971) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He was one of the most familiar faces and voices in Hollywood of the 1950s. Career Helton was born in Manhattan. He began ac ...

(1894–1971), American actor *

Percy Herbert (disambiguation) Percy Herbert may refer to: * Percy Herbert (actor) Percy Herbert (31 July 1920 – 6 December 1992) was an English actor. He worked predominantly from the 1950s into the 1970s and became one of the most recognisable faces in post-war Britis ...

* Percy C. Ifill (1913–1973), American architect * Percy Jones (disambiguation) * Percy Hague Jowett (1882–1955), British artist and arts administrator *

Percy Lavon Julian Percy Lavon Julian (April 11, 1899 – April 19, 1975) was an American research chemist and a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants. Julian was the first person to synthesize the natural product physostigmine, and a pio ...

(1899–1975), American research chemist * Percy William Justyne (1812–1883), English artist * Percy Kachipande (born 1944), Malawian diplomat * Percy Kilbride (1888–1964), American actor *

Percy Ludgate Percy Edwin Ludgate (2 August 1883 – 16 October 1922) was an Ireland, Irish amateur scientist who designed the second analytical engine (general-purpose Turing-complete computer) in history. Life Ludgate was born on 2 August 1883 in Skibb ...

(1883–1922), Irish amateur scientist who designed the second analytical engine in history * Percy Lynsdale (born 1928), Iraqi football player * Percy Lowe (1870–1948), English surgeon and ornithologist * Percy MacKaye (1875–1956), American dramatist and poet * Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa (born 1945), Prime Minister of Sri Lanka * Percy Marmont (1883–1977), English actor *

Percy Metcalfe Percy Metcalfe, CVO, RDI (14 January 1895 Wakefield – 9 October 1970 Fulham Hospital, Hammersmith, London), (often spelled ''Metcalf'' without "e") was an English artist, sculptor and designer. He is recognised mostly for his coin designs ...

(1895–1970), English artist and currency designer * Percy Robert Miller, aka

Master P Percy Robert Miller (born April 29, 1967), better known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, dancer, actor and entrepreneur. He founded the record label No Limit Records in 1991, which was relau ...

, hip-hop artist and entrepreneur * Percy Romeo Miller (born 1989), aka

Romeo Miller Percy Romeo Miller Jr. (born August 19, 1989), also known by his stage name Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, singer, actor and television personality. He gained fame as a rapper in the early 2000s after signing with his father, ...

, hip-hop artist, college basketball player, entertainer and son of Percy Robert *

Percy Montgomery Percival Colin Montgomery (born 15 March 1974) is a Namibian-born South African former professional rugby union player. When he ended his international career in August 2008, he held the all-time records for both cap (sport), caps and points fo ...

(born 1974), South African rugby player * Percy Erskine Nobbs (1875–1964), Scottish-born Canadian architect *

Percy Noble (Royal Navy officer) Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Sir Percy Lockhart Harnam Noble (16 January 1880 – 25 July 1955) was a Royal Navy officer who served in both World Wars. Noble rose to the rank of admiral and was Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches for two ...

(1880–1955), British Second World War admiral, Royal Navy Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches * Percy Verner Noble (1902–1996), Canadian Member of Parliament * Percy Orthwein (1888–1957), American businessman * Percy Paris, Canadian Politician * Percy Parsons (1878–1944), American actor * Percy Pepoon (1861–1939), American politician *

Percy Quin Percy Edwards Quin (October 30, 1872 – February 4, 1932) was an American politician from Mississippi. He served as a United States Democratic Party, Democrat in the United States House of Representatives from 1913 to 1932. Percy was best ...

(1872–1932), American politician * Percy Avery Rockefeller (1878–1934), American businessman * Percy Rodriguez (disambiguation) * Percy Rojas (born 1949), Peruvian football player * Percy Ross (1916–2001), American philanthropist *

Percy Schmeiser Percy Schmeiser (5 January 193113 October 2020) was a Canadian businessman, farmer, and politician. In 1954, he took over the operations of the family owned farm, gas station, and farm equipment dealership. He renamed the farm equipment dealers ...

(1931-2020), Saskatchewan Member of Legislative Assembly, farmer, and Canadian Supreme Court defendant * Percy Shaw (1890–1976), English inventor and businessman *

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...

(1792–1822), English poet *

Percy Sledge Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 19 ...

(1940–2015), American R&B and soul singer *

Percy Smith (disambiguation) Percy Smith is the name of: Politics * Percy Smith (Australian politician) (1920–2002), known as Ray, member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Percy Smith (Canadian politician) (1922–2009), member of the House of Commons Science * F. Pe ...

* Percey F. Smith (1867–1956), American mathematician *

Percy Spencer Percy Spencer (July 19, 1894 – September 8, 1970) was an American physicist, electrical engineer and inventor, known as the inventor of the microwave oven. Early life Spencer was born in Howland, Maine. Eighteen months later, Spencer's fathe ...

(1894–1970), American engineer and inventor of the microwave oven *

Percy Spender Sir Percy Claude Spender (5 October 18973 May 1985) was an Australian politician, diplomat, and judge. He served in the House of Representatives from 1937 to 1951, including as a cabinet minister under Robert Menzies and Arthur Fadden. He was ...

(1897–1985), Australian politician and diplomat *

Percy Stone Percy Goddard Stone (15 March 1856 – 21 March 1934) was an English architect, author and archaeologist who worked extensively on the Isle of Wight, where he lived for most of his life. He designed and Victorian restoration, restored sev ...

(1856–1934), British architect *

Percy Sutton Percy Ellis Sutton (November 24, 1920 – December 26, 2009) was an American political and business leader. An activist in the Civil Rights Movement and lawyer, he was also a Freedom Rider and the legal representative for Malcolm X. He was ...

(1920–2009), American politician, civil rights activist and businessman * Percy Tau (1994), South African football player * Percy Thrower (1913–1988), British gardener, horticulturist, broadcaster and writer * Percy Trompf (1902–1964), Australian commercial artist * Percy Vear (1911–1983), British professional boxer *

Percy Wenrich Percy Wenrich (January 23, 1880 – March 17, 1952) was an American composer of ragtime and popular music. He is best known for writing the songs "Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet" and "When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose", along with the ...

(1887–1952), American composer * Percy White (1888–1918), Australian rugby player * Percy White (cricketer) (1868–1946), New Zealand cricketer *

Percy White (nuclear scientist) Percival Albert Frederick White OBE (16 July 1916 – 8 January 2013) was a British chemist, metallurgist and nuclear scientist who was involved in the creation and testing of Britain's first nuclear weapon during Operation Hurricane in 1952. ...

(1916–2013), British chemist, metallurgist and nuclear scientist * Percy Whitlock (1903–1946), English organist and composer * Percy Wickremasekera, Sri Lankan Sinhala Trotskyist politician, lawyer, and trade unionist *

Percy Williams (disambiguation) Percy Williams may refer to: * Percy Williams (sprinter) Percy Alfred Williams (May 19, 1908 – November 29, 1982) was a Canadian Athletics (sport), athlete, winner of the 100 and 200 metres races at the 1928 Summer Olympics and a former List o ...

Perce Wilson Percival James "Perce" Wilson (February 22, 1890 – September 20, 1936), sometimes shown as Percy Wilson, was an American football player. He was the quarterback for the 1920 Detroit Heralds season, 1920 Detroit Heralds during the first regular ...

(1890–1936), American football player * Percy Wilson (footballer) (1889–1941), Australian football player * Percy Wyndham (disambiguation) * Percy M. Young (1912–2004), British musicologist, editor, organist, composer, conductor and teacher *

Percy Yutar Percy Yutar (29 July 1911 – 13 July 2002) was a South African lawyer who became the country's first Jewish attorney-general. He was the state prosecutor in the Rivonia trial in which anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela and seven others were ...

(1911–2002), South African attorney-general and prosecutor of Nelson Mandela in the 1963 Rivonia treason trial

Women

* Percy Haswell (1871–1945), American Silent film actress * Percy Maxim Lee (1906–2002), American political and social reformer * Percy Tuhaise (born 1960), Ugandan lawyer and judge

Fictional characters

* Sir Percy Blakeney, the Scarlet Pimpernel in Baroness Orczy's 1905 novel of the same name and various related works *

Percy Dovetonsils Percy Dovetonsils is a fictional character created and played by television comedian Ernie Kovacs. It is probably the best remembered of Kovacs' many TV incarnations. Creation Kovacs created the character in 1950 for his program ''Three to Ge ...

, created and played by American television comedian Ernie Kovacs * Percy Jackson, a son of Poseidon and main character in the ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' book series * Judge Percy Merrick, character in ''

High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western (genre), Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in Real time (media), real time, centers ...

'' * Percy Pea, from the VHS and DVD series ''

VeggieTales ''VeggieTales'' is an American Christian media, Christian Computer animated, CGI-animated series and multimedia franchise created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki under Big Idea Entertainment. The series stars Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumb ...

'' * Percy Polie, on the animated children's series ''

Rolie Polie Olie ''Rolie Polie Olie'' is an animated television series created by William Joyce, and is produced by Nelvana in co-production with French broadcaster La Cinquième/France 5. It was produced in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporati ...

'' * Percy Patterson, character in ''

Smallfoot ''Smallfoot'' is a 2018 American animated musical comedy film produced by Warner Animation Group and Zaftig Films, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Based on the unpublished children's book ''Yeti Tracks'' by Sergio Pablos, the film w ...

'' *

Lord Percy Percy This article lists the characters in the four series and three special episodes of the British sitcom ''Blackadder''. ''Blackadder'' was notable for featuring actors playing many repeating characters across different eras of history, with Rowa ...

, two related characters in the popular British sitcom ''Blackadder'' * Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, a human gunslinger in the D&D web series ''

Critical Role ''Critical Role'' is an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors play ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The show started streaming partway through the cast's first campaign in March 2015. Campaign one ended in October 2017 aft ...

'' *

Percy Sugden Percy Sugden is a fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Bill Waddington. He appeared between 1983 and 1997. Storylines Percy arrived on the Stre ...

, on the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'' *

Percy Weasley The Ministry of Magic is the government of the British wizarding community in the fictional universe of ''Harry Potter'' for Britain and Ireland. It is led by an official called the Minister for Magic, and is first mentioned in ''Harry Potter a ...

, in the ''Harry Potter'' series * Percy Wetmore, from Stephen King's novel ''The Green Mile'' * Percy the Park Keeper, in the British children's television series of the same name * Black Knight (Sir Percy), a Marvel Comics character * Percy the Dog, in ''

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

'' * Percy the Penguin, on the animated children's series ''

Jake and the Never Land Pirates ''Jake and the Never Land Pirates'', titled ''Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates'' for the fourth season and associated merchandise, is an American animated Interactivity, interactive preschool children's television series for Disney Jr. Bas ...

'' * Percy the Small Engine, in ''

the Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Sodor (fictional island), Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by Wi ...

'' and ''

Thomas & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' is a British children's television series which aired from 9 October 1984 to 20 January 2021. Based on ''The Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry, Christopher, the series was developed for ...

'' * Percy, on the animated American television series '' Clarence'' * Percy, on the animated American television series ''

Amphibia Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniotic, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all tetrapods, but excluding the amniotes (tetrapods with an amniotic ...

'' * Percy, a hunter in the video game ''

Identity V ''Identity V'' is a 2018 free-to-play asymmetrical multiplayer survival horror game developed and published by the Chinese company NetEase(网易) in cooperation with Behaviour Interactive, creators of the similar game Dead by Daylight. Play ...

External links

Nominal Library: Percy
{{given name, type=both English given names Masculine given names Hypocorisms English masculine given names