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

Leclerc World Ranking

In the United States, the name Leclerc is the 6,074th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Leclerc is ranked the 124th most popular surname with an estimated 25,066 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Leclerc is the 28th popular surname. 3 France ranks Leclerc as 6,400th 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
Leclerc Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Leclerc migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leclerc Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Leclerc Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Leclerc (post 1700) +
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