Find out how popular the last name Clancy is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Clancy.

Clancy, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Clancy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clancy in America

Clancy is the 2871st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clancy surname appeared 12,556 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Clancy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clancy to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Clancy

The surname Clancy is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name O'Cleirigh, which means "descendant of the cleric." It is believed to have originated in County Clare, Ireland, in the early medieval period.

The Clancy name is first recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Irish history, which dates back to the 12th century. The annals mention several members of the Clancy family, who were prominent scholars and scribes.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Clancy surname was Domhnall O'Cleirigh, a renowned Irish poet and chronicler who lived in the 16th century. He is best known for his work on the Annals of the Four Masters, a comprehensive history of Ireland from ancient times to the 17th century.

In the 17th century, the Clancy name was also associated with the Gaelic poet and scholar, Aodh Buidhe O'Cleirigh (c. 1590-1643), who was a member of the famous O'Clery scholarly family. He is renowned for his contributions to the preservation of Irish literature and language.

Another notable figure in Irish history was John Clancy (c. 1785-1847), a Catholic priest and writer who played a significant role in the Irish nationalist movement. He advocated for Catholic emancipation and wrote extensively on Irish history and culture.

The Clancy name has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Clancy's Bridge in County Clare and Clancy's Cross in County Limerick, suggesting the family's long-standing presence in these regions.

Other prominent individuals with the Clancy surname include Eugene Clancy (1884-1954), an Irish-American politician who served as the Comptroller of New York City, and Tom Clancy (1947-2013), the renowned American author best known for his military fiction novels, including "The Hunt for Red October" and the Jack Ryan series.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clancy

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Clancy.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Clancy was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Clancy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Clancy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Clancy, please contact us.

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