DAREY Family History

Recorded in several spellings including Darie, Darrye, Darry, Darey, Dary, and Derry, this is an English surname, but of Norman-French origins. As a surname it was a medieval nickname of endearment for a small person, the derivation being from the pre 10th century French word 'daree' meaning a penny weight. Just how the word came to be applied as a nickname is unclear, but the 12th century, when French was the spoken language of much of educated England, was also the time when both surnames and nicknames were begining to be introduced.