| ![Show Contents]() Clerc History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The French name Clerc 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 Clerc familyThe surname Clerc 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 Clerc familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clerc 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 Clerc History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Clerc Spelling VariationsThere were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name 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 Clerc familyNotable amongst the family was - Jean Leclerc (c.1587-1633), French painter and etcher, born into the service of Duke Charles III of Lorraine
- Michel Le Clerc (1622-1691), a French lawyer and dramatist
- Sébastien Leclerc (1637-1714), a French printmaker, draughtsman and military engineer
- Jean Le Clerc (1657-1736), Swiss Armenian theologian and biblical scholar
- Jean-François Duclerc (died 1711), a French privateer and knight in the Order of Saint-Louis
Clerc RankingIn France, the name Clerc is the 345th most popular surname with an estimated 11,756 people with that name. 1
 Clerc migration to Canada | + |
France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Clerc has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Clerc were Clerc Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century- Mr. Jean Clerc, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 4th April 1642 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name Clerc (post 1700) | + |
- Antoine-Marguerite Clerc, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 3
- Serge Clerc (b. 1957), French comic book artist and illustrator
- Albert Clerc (1830-1918), French chess master
- François Clerc (b. 1983), French footballer
- Vincent Clerc (b. 1981), French rugby union player
- Philippe Clerc (b. 1946), Swiss athlete who competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- José Luis Clerc (b. 1958), former Argentine professional tennis player
|
Clerc migration to Canada 
France-Alt
