Show ContentsMcClancy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name McClancy 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 McClancy family

The surname McClancy 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 McClancy family

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

McClancy Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the McClancy family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Clancy, Clancey, Clanchey, Clanchy, Clansey and many more.

Early Notables of the McClancy family

More information is included under the topic Early McClancy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McClancy migration to the United States +

Ireland saw an enormous decrease in its population in the 19th century due to immigration and death. This pattern of immigration began slowly in the late 18th century and gradually grew throughout the early portion of the 19th century. However, a dramatic increase in the country's immigration numbers occurred when the Great Potato Famine struck in the 1840s. The early immigrants to North America were primarily destined to be farmers tending to their own plot of land, those that came later initially settled within pre-established urban centers. These urban immigrants provided the cheap labor that the fast developing United States and soon to be Canada required. Regardless of their new lifestyle in North America, the Irish immigrants to the United States and Canada made invaluable contributions to their newly adopted societies. An investigation of immigrant and passenger lists revealed many McClancys:

McClancy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick McClancy, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1864 2


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. 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)


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