# Percy

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈpɜːsi/ · frequency rank #11,934

## Definitions
1. An English surname from Old French.
2. A male given name transferred from the surname or from a clipping of Percival, of Middle Ages and later usage.
3. A place name:
4. A place name:
5. A place name:
6. A place name:
7. A place name:

## Etymology
Proper noun proper noun sense 1 (surname) and proper noun sense 3 (place names) are derived from Norman Percy (“a baronial surname”), from Percy-en-Auge (“a place in Pays d’Auge, Normandy, France”, literally “Percy in Auge”), from Old French Perci, from Late Latin Persiacum, from Latin Persius (“a Gallo-Roman nomen gentile”), from Etruscan 𐌐𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 (persu); further etymology uncertain, possibly from 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 (φersu, “mask”).
Proper noun proper noun sense 2 (given name) is either from the above, or is a clipping of Perc(ival) + -y (suffix forming familiar names).
The common noun is derived from the proper noun. Noun sense 2 (“penis”) is probably from the fact that Percy and penis begin with the same letter.

## Easily confused with
- **PRC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-prc)
- **pry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-pry)
- **pray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-pray)
- **prey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-prey)
- **Peru** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-peru)
- **perk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-perk)
- **perm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-perm)
- **peri** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-peri)
- **Perl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-perl)
- **pers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-pers)
- **perv** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-perv)
- **perf** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-perf)
- **perp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-perp)
- **pert** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-pert)
- **perry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-perry)
- **petty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-petty)
- **Perth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-perth)
- **porch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-porch)
- **Perez** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-perez)
- **peril** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-peril)

## Common misspellings (8)
`eprcy`, `pecry`, `perccy`, `percyy`, `perrcy`, `peryc`, `ppercy`, `precy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/percy