| ![Show Contents]() Laclair History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 France The surname Laclair comes from the French word "clair", which means "bright," or "light". As such, the name was most likely originally a nickname for a cheerful individual, although some instances may have evolved from the personal name Claire. Early Origins of the Laclair familyThe surname Laclair was first found in Limousin, where this renowned family held a family seat from ancient times. Very early on, the family established themselves in Périgord and Bordelais where they held lands and estates. 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 Laclair familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Laclair research. The years 1697, 1703, 1764 and 1777 are included under the topic Early Laclair History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Laclair Spelling VariationsOne 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 Laclair 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 Laclair familyAnother 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Laclair Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Laclair RankingIn the United States, the name Laclair is the 9,012nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
 Laclair migration to the United States | + |
French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that same year 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. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Laclair surname were
Laclair Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Alexander Laclair, who landed in New York in 1846 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name Laclair (post 1700) | + |
- Edmund F. LaClair, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Avon, 1912 3
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Laclair migration to the United States 
