Contents [hide]

Clegg History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Clegg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Clegg name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the region of Clegg in Rochdale in the county of Lancashire. In some cases, this name was derived from the Gaelic MacLiagh, meaning "son of the physician." One source claims that the name was "Old Norse, kleggi, a compact mass. There was a Northman with this surname in the Landnamabok." 1

Early Origins of the Clegg family

The surname Clegg was first found in Lancashire where "almost all our Cleggs hail from Clegg, or Clegg Hall, in the parish of Rochdale." 2 "Clegg was the name of a very ancient family of Clegg Hall near Rochdale; but the estate passed out of the family by marriage in the reign of Edward VI. The name is common in the Rochdale registers of the 16th century, and it is still in the town." 3

Early rolls revealed: Nicholas de Clegg and Mathew de Clegg in Lancashire in 1360. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Ricardus de Cleghe and Henricus de Cloghe. Much later, the Wills of Chester list Thomas Clegg as a tanner in Middleton, Lancashire in 1581 and the same listing included Arthur Clegg, of Fieldhouse in the parish of Rochdale in 1608. 2

Early History of the Clegg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clegg research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1679, 1702, 1714, 1723, 1743, 1744, 1746, 1755 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Clegg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clegg Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Clegg has undergone many spelling variations, including Clegg, Clegge, Cleg, Claig, Claigg, Claige, Cleig, Cleigg, Clegges, Clegs, Cllege, Cleagg, Cleagge and many more.

Early Notables of the Clegg family

Distinguished members of the family include

James Clegg...

Clegg Ranking

In the United States, the name Clegg is the 4,367^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Clegg is ranked the 757^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,833 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Clegg family to Ireland

Some of the Clegg family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 279 words (20 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clegg migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Clegg were among those contributors:

Clegg Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Clegg who settled at Pennaquid, Maine in the year 1687

Clegg Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Clegg, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 6

Clegg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benjamin Clegg, aged 22, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1804 6
Benjamin, and George Clegg, who settled in Baltimore, Maryland in 1804
George Clegg, aged 26, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1804 6
Joseph Clegg, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 6
Hannah Clegg, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clegg migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clegg Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Clegg, aged 84 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Free Trader" departing 22nd June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 14th August 1847 but he died on board 7

Clegg migration to Australia +

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

Clegg Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Clegg, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Joseph Clegg, (b. 1798), aged 32, English weaver who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Richard Clegg, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
Mr. George Clegg, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 11
Mr. James Clegg, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clegg 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:

Clegg Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Benjamin Clegg, (b. 1826), aged 32, British quarryman travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 13
Mrs. Ann Clegg, (b. 1828), aged 30, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 13
Miss Mary Hannah Clegg, (b. 1853), aged 5, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 13
Mr. Charles Clegg, (b. 1830), aged 34, British farm labourer travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 13
Mrs. Ann Clegg, (b. 1831), aged 33, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Clegg (post 1700) +

Robert E. Clegg Jr. (1954-2023), American politician, Member of the New Hampshire Senate (2002-2008)
Douglas Clegg (b. 1958), American horror and dark fantasy author
Charles M Clegg Jr. (1916-1979), American author, photographer, and railroad historian
Samuel Clegg (1781-1861), English civil engineer and inventor, member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1829 14
Michael Jamie Clegg (b. 1977), English former professional footballer whop played from 1995 to 2004
Sir John Charles Clegg (1850-1937), English footballer and later Chairman and President of the Football Association
Henry Clegg (1850-1920), English first-class cricketer who played six matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1881
Donald "Don" Clegg (1921-2005), English footballer who played from 1946 to 1951
Brian Clegg (b. 1955), English science writer
Sir Alexander Bradshaw "Alec" Clegg (1909-1986), English Chief Education Officer of the West Riding of Yorkshire County Council from 1945 to 1974
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Clegg family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Arthur Clegg, English 1st Class Cabin Bed Steward from Aintree, Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 15

The Clegg Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Qui potest capere capiat
Motto Translation: Let him take who can take.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 69)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/