Contents [hide]

Clary History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Clary History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Ireland

The name Clary originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Cleirigh, from the word "cleireach," which means "clerk" or "cleric." 1 The name denotes a descendant of Cleireach, who was born around 820 AD, and descended from Guaire the Hospitable, the famous king of Connacht.

Early Origins of the Clary family

The surname Clary was first found in County Galway. A descendent of Guaire, Cleireach, the namesake of the O'Clerys, was born around 820 AD, about two hundred years before hereditary surnames came into general use. 2 However, the name O'Clery first appeared around 950 AD, making it one of the earliest recorded hereditary surnames. The O'Clerys were the dominant sept in what is now the diocese of Kilmacduagh in the county of Galway, but declined in power until they were forced out of their original territory by the mid-13th century. The most important branch of the family settled in Counties Derry and Donegal and became prominent historians and poets. The branch that settled in County Cavan has seemingly all but vanished. However, the English surname Clarke has been widely substituted for O'Clery there, following the Plantation of Ulster, and many Irish Clarkes may actually be O'Clerys, rather than descendants of English settlers. Another branch is still fairly common in the counties of Kilkenny, Waterford, and Tipperary. The name is presently found mostly in Munster and Dublin.

Early History of the Clary family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clary research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1450, 1507, 1636, 1781 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Clary History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clary Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The standardized literary languages of today were not yet reached. Research into the name Clary revealed spelling variations, including Clery, Cleary, Claree, Clarey, Cleare, Clearey, Clerey, O'Cleary, O'Clery, Macchlery, Clerkin, Clark and many more.

Early Notables of the Clary family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clary Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clary Ranking

In the United States, the name Clary is the 2,727^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Clary is ranked the 5,766^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 4

Clary migration to the United States +

The 18th and 19th centuries saw many Irish families immigrate to North America in search of land and opportunities. The largest influx of Irish immigrants to the United States and British North America came during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine laid waste to their homeland. Hundreds of thousands left the island in an attempt to escape the starvation and disease it brought. Although the arrival of such a large number of destitute Irish was not welcomed by the established population in the United States and what would become known as Canada at the time, these Irish were an essential element to the rapid development of these growing industrial nations. They filled the demand for the cheap labor needed for the work in factories and in the construction of bridges, roads, canals, and railways. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many immigrants bearing the name of Clary or one of its variants:

Clary Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Clary, who arrived in the Virginia colony in 1642
Marke Clary, who landed in Virginia in 1666 5
Sarah Clary, who landed in Maryland in 1676 5

Clary Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Dannie Clary, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 5
Margaret Clary, who landed in Virginia in 1713 5
John Clary, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1762 5
Michael Clary, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1764 5

Clary Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Clary, aged 34, who landed in New York, NY in 1812-1813 5
Thomas Clary, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 5
James Clary, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 5
Charles Clary, aged 20, who landed in New York in 1854 5
Margaret Clary, aged 20, who arrived in New York in 1854 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clary migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clary Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Clary, who settled in Quebec in 1815
Ann Clary, who landed in Nova Scone in 1832
Honors Clary, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1832
Mary Clary, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1832
Mary Clary, aged 28, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the schooner "Jane" from Galway, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clary migration to Australia +

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

Clary Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Clary, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. William Clary, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Clary (post 1700) +

Robert Clary (1926-2022), born Robert Max Widerman, French-born, American actor, best known for his role in the television sitcom Hogan's Heroes as Corporal Louis LeBeau (1965–1971)
W. C. Clary, American politician, Member of Georgia State Board of Education 1st District, 1947-49 8
M. P. Clary, American Republican politician, Chair of Garden County Republican Party, 1940 8
Joseph Clary, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Erie County, 1834 8
Glenn W. Clary, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Alaska, 2008 8
Fannie J. Clary, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Secretary of State of Massachusetts, 1904 8
Edgar D. Clary Jr., American politician, Member of Georgia State Senate, 1950 8
Beth J. Clary, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Alaska, 2008 8
Alvah S. Clary (b. 1837), American Republican politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives from Greensboro, 1910 8
Aden Clary, American politician, Mayor of Frostburg, Maryland, 1874-75 8
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
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/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html