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Leclerc History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Leclerc History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France-Alt
France

The French name Leclerc comes from "le clerc", or "the clerk", and as such was an occupational name originally used for a scribe or secretary.

Early Origins of the Leclerc family

The surname Leclerc was first found in Limousin, where this renowned family held a family seat from ancient times.

Many members of this important family were recorded as participants in the French Revolution and in its resultant political forums. Théodore François Joseph Leclaire was a member of the military who was promoted to the rank of Chief of Battalion of the 98th regiment in 1791, followed in 1793 by a promotion to Commander of Arms. He was also honoured by being admitted to the Legion of Honour.

Early History of the Leclerc family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leclerc research. Another 31 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1587, 1622, 1633, 1637, 1657, 1691, 1697, 1711, 1714, 1736, 1774 and 1823 are included under the topic Early Leclerc History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leclerc Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of French surnames; in part, as spelling, and the spelling names was not yet standardized during the early development of the written French language. Later, there was much branching and movement of families, and spellings would change according to region. Variations of the name Leclerc include Leclair, Leclaire, Leclaires, Leclère, Leclere, Leclères, Lecleres, Leclert, Lecler, le Clair, le Claire, le Claires, le Clère, le Clere, le Clères, le Clert, le Cler, Clair, Claire, Claires, Clère, Clere, Clères, Clert and many more.

Early Notables of the Leclerc family

Notable amongst the family was

Jean Leclerc (c.1587-1633), French painter and etcher, born into the service of Duke Charles III of Lorraine
Sébastien Leclerc (1637-1714), a French printmaker, draughtsman and military engineer

Leclerc World Ranking

In the United States, the name Leclerc is the 6,074^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Leclerc is ranked the 124^th most popular surname with an estimated 25,066 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Leclerc is the 28^th popular surname. 3 France ranks Leclerc as 6,400^th with 1,000 - 1,500 people. 4

Leclerc migration to the United States +

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Leclerc has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Leclerc were

Leclerc Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jean LeClerc, aged 27, who settled in Louisiana in 1719
Jean LeClerc, aged 27, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 5
Jacques LeClerc, who settled in Louisiana in 1752
Pierre LeClerc, who settled in Louisiana in 1757

Leclerc Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jean-Baptiste Leclerc, aged 46, who settled in New Orleans in 1823
Fortune Leclerc, who arrived in New York, NY in 1835 5
Mr. Leclerc, who settled in San Francisco in 1853

Leclerc migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leclerc Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Florent Leclerc, son of Jean and Jeanne, who married Marie Gendre, daughter of Moise and Jeanne, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 4th February 1658 6
Adrienne Leclerc, who landed in Canada in 1661
Denis Leclerc, son of Claude and Catherine, who married Marie De Bretigny, daughter of Jean and Anne, in Quebec on 24th October 1667 6
Jean Leclerc, son of Antoine and Michelle, who married Marie Couet, daughter of Michel and Marie, in Sainte-Famille, Quebec on 11th November 1669 6
Guillaume Leclerc, son of Antoine and Marie, who married Marie-Thérèse Hunault, daughter of Toussaint and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 24th November 1676 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leclerc Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jean-Baptiste Leclerc, son of Robert and Marie, who married Marguerite Pépin, daughter of Jacques and Marie-Jeanne, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 10th November 1704 6
Jean-Baptiste Leclerc, son of Guillaume and Marie-Thérèse, who married Marguerite Beauchamp, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Quebec on 23rd November 1705 6
Jean Leclerc, son of Massé and Marguerite, who married Geneviève Saint-Michel, daughter of François and Marie-Madeleine, in Quebec on 23rd August 1706 6
Joseph Leclerc, son of Jean and Madeleine, who married Marguerite Durand, daughter of Nicolas and Marguerite, in Islet, Quebec on 20th November 1724 6
Claude Leclerc, son of Jean and Marie-Claire, who married Michelle Bouton, daughter of Antoine and Marthe, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 3rd February 1729 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Leclerc (post 1700) +

Roger Alvin LeClerc (1936-2021), American professional football player in the National Football League who played from 1960 to 1967
Walter N. LeClerc, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Manchester, 1940 7
Marcia A. Leclerc, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of East Hartford, Connecticut, 2011-12 7
Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
Pierre Leclerc d'Ostein, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Louis Nicolas Marin Leclerc des Essarts, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 10
Charles Hyacinthe Leclerc de Landremont, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 11
Camille Charles Leclerc, Chevalier de Fresne was Governor General of Mauritius and Pondicherry in French Colonial Empire
Dominique Leclerc (b. 1944), French politician, member of the Senate of France
Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc (1772-1802), French general, who served under Napoleon Bonaparte in the Italian campaign
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 8) Charles Leclerc. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 8) Pierre Leclerc. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 8) Louis Leclerc. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 27) Charles Leclerc. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html