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Clancy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Clancy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Clancy originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Fhlannchaidh. The exact meaning of this name is undetermined; it can be translated as "son of Fhlannchadh," where "flann" means "reddish" or "ruddy." However, whether "caidh" denotes warrior as has been asserted is unknown.

Early Origins of the Clancy family

The surname Clancy was first found in Counties Clare and Leitrim. The more important of the two MacClancy septs were a branch of the MacNamaras and were from the north of County Clare, where they gave their name to Cathermacclancy. They traced their lineage from the Heber kings, and provided hereditary brehons (judges) to the O'Briens. They were most numerous in County Clare and the neighboring counties of Galway and Tipperary. The other sept of MacClancys were indigenous to Leitrim, and were Chiefs of Darty or Rosclogher. 1

Early History of the Clancy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clancy research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clancy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clancy Spelling Variations

Names written in official documents were generally spelt as they sounded, leading to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion in records of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Clancy that are preserved in documents of the family history are Clancy, Clancey, Clanchey, Clanchy, Clansey and many more.

Early Notables of the Clancy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Clancy, Chief of Dartry

Clancy Ranking

In the United States, the name Clancy is the 3,043^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Clancy is ranked the 729^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,332 people with that name. 3

Clancy migration to the United States +

The English-ruled Ireland of the late 18th and 19th centuries featured a rapidly increasing population and an agricultural-based economy. This combination proved to be disastrous in the 1840s after a couple of failed potato harvests. Thousands died of disease and starvation, and thousands more left the country, often bound for North America. Those that survived the journey to North America were put to work building the bridges, canals, roadways, and railways needed for the development of an industrial society. Those Irish, although often despised by those already established in North American cities and towns, played an instrumental role in making Canada and the United States the powerful and wealthy nations that they are today. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has shown many immigrants bearing the name Clancy:

Clancy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Felix Clancy, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1739 4

Clancy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Clancy, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 4
James Clancy, aged 24, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 4
John Clancy, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 4
Patrick Clancy, aged 22, who landed in Missouri in 1848 4
Joseph J Clancy, who landed in America in 1850 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clancy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clancy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Patrick Clancy, who settled in Quebec with his wife and five sons in 1825
Michael Clancy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1830
William Clancy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831
James Clancy, aged 34, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Britannia" from Sligo, Ireland
John Clancy, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Lady Douglas" from New Ross
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clancy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Clancy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Clancy, (b. 1792), aged 35, Irish farm servant who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 19th July 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Terence Clancy, (b. 1808), aged 26, Scottish gardener who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for life for uttering forged notes, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1843 6
Mr. Richard Clancy, (Clancey), (b. 1793), aged 47, Irish butcher who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for 7 years for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "British Sovereign" on 16th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1853 7
Michael Clancy, aged 37, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Constance" 8
James Clancy, aged 38, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Sir Thomas Gresham" 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clancy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Clancy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

D. Clancy, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ulcoats" in 1864
John Clancy, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blairgowrie" in 1875
Bridget Clancy, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blairgowrie" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Clancy (post 1700) +

Catherine Mary Clancy (1918-2001), (née Langan), American store's credit department worker, mother of Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo Clancy (1918-1995), American United States Postal Service worker, father of Tom Clancy
Thomas "Tom" Clancy Jr. (1947-2013), American author of political thrillers, probably best known for his novels The Hunt for Red October (1984) and Patriot Games (1987), both of which were turned into blockbuster movies
Jack David Clancy (b. 1944), former American NFL football wide receiver who played from 1967 to 1970, American Football League All-star
Stu Clancy, American NFL quarterback for the New York Giants from 1932 to 1935
Sam Clancy Jr. (b. 1980), American professional basketball player
James "Jim" Clancy (b. 1955), American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1977 to 1991
Gilbert Thomas "Gil" Clancy (1922-2011), American Hall of Fame boxing trainer of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman
William "Liam" Clancy (1935-2009), Irish folk singer
George "Seoirse" Clancy (1881-1921), Irish nationalist politician and Mayor of Limerick who was shot dead, he was the inspiration for the character Michael Davin, in Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Clancy family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Ralph Clancy, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/british-sovereign
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTANCE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Constance.htm
South Australian Register Monday 20th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Sir Thomas Gresham 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/sirthomasgresham1854.shtml
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance