CLARE
The surname Clare is an English name with a long and varied history. It is recorded as early as 1086 in the Domesday Book, when a Richard de Clare signed a charter for the county of Suffolk. The name appears in contemporary documents such as the Kings Rolls of Oxford in 1273, the Kent rolls of 1317 and the London entry for Thomas Clair of St Giles Cripplegate in 1664.
Several etymological explanations have been offered for Clare. One proposal is that it derives from the Old English word claeg, meaning clay, and that the first bearer of the name resided near a clay pit or worked with the material. Another view holds that it is a locational surname taken from the town of Clare in Suffolk, England, a place whose name is itself first recorded in the Domesday inventory. A third hypothesis is that Clare began as a nickname for a person with fair or light‑haired features; this would stem from the Middle English word clere (bright or clear) and the earlier pre‑8th century word cleare meaning bright or clear, a term applied to rivers and manorial sites in Suffolk.
From the Norman period, the surname appears in several forms, including Clere, Clarae, Clara, Clare and Clair(e). In the early medieval years the name was often preceded by the French preposition de, as in de Clare, but by the sixteenth century this practice had largely disappeared. The association of the name with nobility is well documented. Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, led the Anglo‑Norman invasion of Ireland in 1170; his descendants retained the Clare name and acquired the Dukedom of Clarence in 1362.
In the British Isles, the name has been linked to both Ireland and England. In Ireland the surname Clare is an anglicised form of the Irish Mac Cléirigh or O’Cléirigh, meaning descendant of the cleric, and is commonly found in County Clare and County Limerick. In England the name is largely concentrated in the East Midlands and London from the late thirteenth century onwards, with significant branches in Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Warwickshire and Wiltshire.
Modern distribution shows that Clare remains a relatively common surname in Britain, especially the United Kingdom. It can also be found in Scotland, notably in East Lothian, and among populations in former British colonies, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. In the United States the name is recorded by over seven thousand individuals. The surname has survived the centuries in a variety of spelling variants, all reflecting similar origins, and continues to be used with pride by those who bear it.
Typical given names associated with the Clare surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Alison
- Amanda
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Janet
- Julie
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Cleare
- Clarence
- Claire
- Clair
- Claar
- Claes
- Calore
- Clar
- Clara
- Clairs
- Clairy
- Clard
- Claren
- Clarer
- Clares
- Claret
- Clarett
- Clarey
- Clari
- Clarie
- Clark
- Clarke
- Clarn
- Clarne
- Claro
- Clarr
- Clarrey
- Clarry
- Clart
- Clary
- Clause
- Claw
- Clawes
- Clayre
- Clear
- Cleares
- Clearey
- Clearie
- Clearo
- Clears
- Cleary
- Cleer
- Cleere
- Cleir
- Cler
- Clere
- Cleres
- Clerey
- Clerie
- Clero
- Clery
- Clire
- Clore
- Clores
- Clorey
- Clour
- Clur
- Clure
- Cluroe
- Klahr
- Klahre
- Klair
- Klaire
- Klar
- Klare
- Klear
- Claireaux
- Clairet
- Clarcke
- Clarens
- Clarges
- Claris
- Clarkes
- Claros
- Claus
- Claws
- Claye
- Clearer
- Clearke
- Cleery
- Clerry
- Cloarec
- Clower
- Clowers
- Cluro
- Callear
- Caller
- Coller
- Collier
- Galer
- Gallier
- Gowler
- Guyler
- Kalra
- Kaylor
- Keller
- Kohler
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Clare in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 9,274 people named Clare in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,016th most common surname in Britain. Around 142 in a million people in Britain are named Clare.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Clare
- Alex Clare - Singer-songwriter
- John Clare - Poet (1793 to 1864)
- Patti Clare - Actress
- Sean Clare - Football player
- Alan Clare - Musician (1921 to 1993)
- Daryl Clare - Football player
- James Clare - Rugby league football player
- Kenny Clare - Musician (1929 to 1984)
- Jimmy Clare - Professional football player
- Robert Clare - Football player
- Jonathan Clare - Cricketer
- Charlie Clare - Rugby union player
- Roy Clare - Royal Navy admiral
- Tom Clare - Singer-songwriter (1876 to 1946)
- Thomas Clare - Cricketer (1883 to 1940)
- Tommy Clare - Football player and manager (1865 to 1929)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.