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

Clary, 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 Clary surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clary in America

Clary is the 3241st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clary surname appeared 11,139 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 Clary.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clary 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 Clary

The surname Clary originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "clarus," meaning "bright" or "clear." The name likely referred to someone with a bright or clear complexion or personality.

In the 12th century, the name appeared in records from the town of Clary in the Somme department of northern France. This suggests that the surname may have initially been a locative name, denoting someone from the village of Clary.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Clarus in Huntingdonshire, England. This entry indicates that the name had spread to England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name was also documented in various forms, such as Clarius, Clericus, and Clarice. These variations likely arose from different regional pronunciations and spellings.

Notable individuals with the surname Clary include:

1. René Clary (1608-1690), a French Jesuit priest and theologian.
2. Jacques-François Clary (1725-1804), a French merchant and politician who served as a deputy in the Estates-General.
3. Désirée Clary (1777-1860), a French woman who was briefly engaged to Napoleon Bonaparte before marrying Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, the future King of Sweden and Norway.
4. John Clary (1792-1847), an American politician who served as the 18th Governor of Ohio from 1835 to 1837.
5. Martin Clary (1809-1884), an American pioneer and politician who served as the 11th Governor of Indiana from 1857 to 1861.

The surname Clary has been carried across various regions of Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration patterns of families over centuries. Its origins can be traced back to medieval France, where it emerged as a descriptive or locative name, ultimately becoming a distinctive part of many family lineages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clary

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

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 Clary 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 Clary 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 Clary was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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