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Clair Family History

Clair Name Meaning

French: from the male personal name Clair (from Latin Clarus ‘illustrious’) which was borne by two early Christian saints a 3rd-century bishop of Nantes and the 4th-century St. Clair of Aquitaine. French: nickname for a cheerful individual from the adjective clair ‘bright light’. Compare Leclair American shortened form of French Leclair 1 a cognate of 2 above. Americanized form of German Klare or perhaps Klehr . Compare Klair Irish: variant of Clare or a shortened form of McClair itself probably a shortened and altered form of McCleary .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Claire, Clare, Leclair, Clar, Claro, Claar, Clear, Caire, Klahr

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Where is the Clair family from?

You can see how Clair families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Clair family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Clair families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 57 Clair families living in Quebec. This was about 31% of all the recorded Clair's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Clair families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Clair surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Clair

What did your Clair ancestors do for a living?

View Census Data for Clair | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Farmer
42%
Laborer
15%
Labourer
11%
Carpenter
5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

Farmer
56%
Stenographer
23%
Nurse
23%

Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Clair family records will you find?

Census Records
There are 113,000 census records available for the last name Clair. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Clair census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.
Search Canadian census records for Clair
Passenger Lists
There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Clair. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.
View all Clair immigration records
Draft Cards
There are 23,000 military records available for the last name Clair. For the veterans among your Clair ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.
View all Clair military records

Census Records

There are 113,000 census records available for the last name Clair. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Clair census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Clair

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Clair. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Clair immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 23,000 military records available for the last name Clair. For the veterans among your Clair ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Clair military records

You've only scratched the surface of Clair family history

Discover More

What is the average Clair lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Clair life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1949, and highest in 1966. The average life expectancy for Clair in 1944 was 40, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Clair

Browse profiles of historical people with the Clair last name