Contents [hide]

Clare History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Clare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Spain

Early Origins of the Clare family

The surname Clare was first found in Leon, where the name originated in Visigothic times.

Early History of the Clare family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clare research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1654 is included under the topic Early Clare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clare Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Claret, Clarett, Clarete, Clare, Clarets, Claretto, Claretezze and many more.

Early Notables of the Clare family

Prominent among members of the family

was Claret of Leon

Clare Ranking

In the United States, the name Clare is the 7,620^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in New Zealand, the name Clare is ranked the 852^nd most popular surname with an estimated 859 people with that name. 2

Clare migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clare Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Tho Clare, who arrived in New England in 1634 3
John Clare, who settled in Virginia in 1651
Mark Clare, who arrived in Maryland in 1651-1658 3
Walter Clare, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 3
James Clare, who landed in Virginia in 1655 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clare Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francois Clare, who landed in Virginia in 1700 3
Katherine Clare, who landed in Virginia in 1701 3
George Clare, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 3
William Clare, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 3

Clare Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bartholomew Clare, aged 26, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1812 3
Michael Clare, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 3
Pierce Clare, aged 40, who arrived in Missouri in 1847 3
Nicholas Clare, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 3
Mr. Clare, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clare Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Henry Cristifer Clare, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1918 3

Clare migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clare Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jean Clare, aged 35, who landed in Canada in 1642

Clare migration to Australia +

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

Clare Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Clare, (b. 1802), aged 21, British miner who was convicted in Somerset, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1866 4
Joseph Clare, aged Emma, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 5
William Clare, aged 30, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Telegraph"

Clare 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:

Clare Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Clare, aged 33, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Comfort Clare, aged 31, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Maria Ann Clare, aged 16, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
George Clare, aged 13, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Mary Ann Clare, aged 11, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clare migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6

Clare Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jo Clare, aged 26, who arrived in Barbados in 1634 3
Nicholas Clare who settled in Barbados in 1678 with his wife and son

Contemporary Notables of the name Clare (post 1700) +

Sidney Clare (1892-1972), American comedian, dancer and composer. His best-known songs include "On the Good Ship Lollipop" (introduced by Shirley Temple), "You're My Thrill" (recorded by Billie Holiday), and "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone"
Madelyn Clare (1894-1975), also known as Madelyn Klare or Madelyn Donovan, an American actress during the early twentieth century
Ina Clare (1932-2010), British television actress, best known for her role as Ina Foot in the BBC soap opera EastEnders
Diane Clare (1938-2013), born Diane Dirsztay, an English film and television actress
Daryl Adam Clare (b. 1978), Jersey-born Irish former professional footballer and coach
Craig Clare (b. 1984), New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for Wanganui in the Heartland Championship
Anthony Ward Clare (1942-2007), Irish psychiatrist and a presenter of radio and television programmes
Robert Clare (b. 1983), English former professional footballer
Thomas "Tommy" Clare (1865-1929), English footballer who played at right-back, and football manager.
Peter Clare (1738-1786), London surgeon who wrote several treatises advocating a method of administering calomel by friction within the mouth as a remedy for venereal diseases 7
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Clare family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. William Clare (d. 1914), British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 8

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SOMERSETSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Somersetshire.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html