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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: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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.
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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.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

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

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    56%
  • Stenographer
    23%
  • Nurse
    23%

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

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.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Clair

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Clair ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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