Clare Family History

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Clare Name Meaning

Irish and English: habitational name from Clare in Suffolk (probably named with a Celtic river name meaning ‘bright’, ‘gentle’, or ‘warm’). One of the first Normans in Ireland (1170–72) was Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, better known as ‘Strongbow’, who took his surname from his estate in Suffolk. English: habitational name from Clare in Oxfordshire, named with Old English cl?g ‘clay’ + ora ‘slope’. English: from the Middle English, Old French female personal name Cla(i)re (Latin Clara, from clarus ‘famous’), which achieved some popularity, greater on the Continent than in England, through the fame of St. Clare of Assisi. See also Sinclair. English: occupational name for a worker in clay, for example someone expert in building in wattle and daub, from Middle English clayere, an agent derivative of Old English cl?g ‘clay’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Claire, Clark, Blake, Care, Lake, Clary, Place, Large, Claro, Clara

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Clare Family Origin

Where is the Clare family from?

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You can see how Clare families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Clare family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Clare families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1911 there were 232 Clare families living in Ontario. This was about 53% of all the recorded Clare's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Clare families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Clare surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Clare

Clare Family Occupations

What did your Clare ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Farmer, Going To School and Labourer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Clare. A less common occupation for the Clare family was Student. The most common Clare occupation in Canada was Farmer. 21% of Clare's were Farmers.

View Census data for Clare | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    21%

  • Going To School

    7%

  • Labourer

    5%

  • Student

    5%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Clare ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Clare Historical Records

What Clare family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 140,000 census records available for the last name Clare. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Clare census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Clare

Passenger List

There are 16,000 immigration records available for the last name Clare. 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 Clare immigration records

Draft Card

There are 13,000 military records available for the last name Clare. For the veterans among your Clare ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Clare military records

You've only scratched the surface of Clare family history.

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Clare Life Expectancy

What is the average Clare lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Clare life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1963. The average life expectancy for Clare in 1942 was 48, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Clare

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Clare 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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