Clair Family History

Clair Surname 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 and a cognate of the previous entry. Americanized form of German Klare or perhaps Klehr.

Compare Klair which is an Irish variant of Clare or a shortened form of McClair.

This, in turn, is 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, Clark

124K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
23K	Military Records
10K	Immigration Records
113K	Census and Voter Lists
341K	Member Trees

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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?

In 1921, Farmer and Farmer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Clair. 42% of Clair men worked as a Farmer and 56% of Clair women worked as a Farmer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Clair were Carpenter and Nurse.

View Census Data for Clair

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Farmer

42%

Laborer

15%

Labourer

11%

Carpenter

Farmer

56%

Stenographer

23%

Nurse

23%

What Clair family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 113K 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 List

There are 10K 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

Military Records

There are 23K 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

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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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Clair family tree

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Clair Surname Meaning

French: nickname for a cheerful individual from the adjective clair ‘bright light’. Compare Leclair.

American shortened form of French Leclair and a cognate of the previous entry. Americanized form of German Klare or perhaps Klehr.

Compare Klair which is an Irish variant of Clare or a shortened form of McClair.

This, in turn, is probably a shortened and altered form of McCleary.

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

Where is the Clair family from?

What did your Clair ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Farmer

42%

Laborer

15%

Labourer

11%

Carpenter

Farmer

56%

Stenographer

23%

Nurse

23%

What Clair family records will you find?

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.

Clair Family History

Clair Surname Meaning

612,000 record(s) for Clair

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Clair family from?

What did your Clair ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Clair family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Clair family history

What is the average Clair lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Clair family tree

Search for another surname

Clair Surname Meaning

612,000 record(s) for Clair

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Clair family from?

What did your Clair ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Clair family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Clair family history

What is the average Clair lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Clair family tree

Search for another surname