Claire History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France-Alt
France

Etymology of Claire

What does the name Claire mean?

The surname Claire comes from the French word "clair", which means "bright," or "light". As such, the name was most likely originally a nickname for a cheerful individual, although some instances may have evolved from the personal name Claire.

Early Origins of the Claire family

The surname Claire was first found in Limousin, where this renowned family held a family seat from ancient times.

Very early on, the family established themselves in Périgord and Bordelais where they held lands and estates. Many members of this important family were recorded as participants in the French Revolution and in its resultant political forums.

Théodore François Joseph Leclaire was a member of the military who was promoted to the rank of Chief of Battalion of the 98th regiment in 1791, followed in 1793 by a promotion to Commander of Arms. He was also honoured by being admitted to the Legion of Honour.

Early History of the Claire family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Claire research. The years 1697, 1703, 1764 and 1777 are included under the topic Early Claire History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Claire Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of French surnames; in part, as spelling, and the spelling names was not yet standardized during the early development of the written French language. Later, there was much branching and movement of families, and spellings would change according to region. Variations of the name Claire include Leclair, Leclaire, Leclaires, Leclère, Leclere, Leclères, Lecleres, Leclert, Lecler, le Clair, le Claire, le Claires, le Clère, le Clere, le Clères, le Clert, le Cler, Clair, Claire, Claires, Clère, Clere, Clères, Clert and many more.

Early Notables of the Claire family

Notable amongst the family was

Théodore François Joseph Leclaire...

Claire Ranking

In the United States, the name Claire is the 17,829^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Claire is ranked the 3,135^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2

Claire migration to the United States +

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Claire has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Claire were

Claire Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michael Claire, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1764 3

Claire Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Claire, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3
John Claire, who landed in California in 1875 3

Claire migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Claire Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Sister Claire, who arrived in Montreal in 1659

Contemporary Notables of the name Claire (post 1700) +

William Francis Claire, American editor of "Voyages"
Glen C. Le Claire, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Brown County 1st District, 1956 4
Myrtle Claire Bachelder (1908-1997), American chemist and Women's Army Corps officer, known for her secret work on the Manhattan Project
Judy Claire Bethel (1943-2025), Canadian politician, Member of Parliament Edmonton East (1993-1997)
Karoline Claire Leavitt (b. 1997), American political aide and government official, White House Press Secretary in the second Trump administration since January 2025
Louise Claire Upston MP (b. 1971), née McGill, a New Zealand politician, Member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for Taupo, 28th Minister for Social Development and Employment (2023-)
Francesca Claire Tagliaferri (b. 1999), American professional soccer player
Tamzin Claire Merchant (b. 1987), English actress and author
Heather Claire Roffey (b. 1986), Caymanian swimmer, who specialized in long-distance freestyle and butterfly events at the Summer Olympics at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Annabel Claire Giles (1959-2023), British television and radio presenter

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html