2000
#4,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,836
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.90
Rare Last name
Leclair
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a clearing or glade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,956 Americans carry the last name Leclair. That puts it at #4,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,271 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leclair surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,271
Census rank
#4,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,810 bearers of the surname Leclair in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leclair, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leclair
The surname Leclair has its origins in France. It is derived from the French phrase "le clair," which means "the bright" or "the clear." The name likely arose as a descriptive nickname for someone with a bright complexion or a clear countenance.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century in the northern regions of France, particularly in the provinces of Normandy and Picardy. It is believed that the name may have been initially used to distinguish individuals from specific locations with the word "clair" in their names, such as Clairville or Clairvaux.
In the 14th century, the name Leclair appeared in several historical documents, including tax records and land registries in the regions of Normandy and Île-de-France. One notable figure was Jean Leclair, a renowned French composer and violinist born in 1697 in Lyon, who made significant contributions to the development of the French Baroque musical tradition.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Leclair name spread across France and was found in various regions, including Brittany, Burgundy, and Champagne. In this period, several members of the Leclair family held positions of importance, such as Jacques Leclair, who served as a magistrate in the Parlement of Paris in the late 16th century.
The 18th century saw the rise of several notable figures with the surname Leclair, including Antoine Leclair, a French painter born in 1704 in Paris, known for his portraits and historical paintings. Another prominent individual was Jean-Marie Leclair, a French architect and engineer born in 1697 in Rouen, who designed several prominent buildings in Paris and other cities.
In the 19th century, the Leclair name continued to be prevalent in France, with individuals like Victor Leclair, a French politician and writer born in 1824 in Paris, who served as a deputy in the National Assembly and published several works on literature and philosophy.
Over time, the surname Leclair has spread beyond France to other parts of the world, particularly to countries with French colonial influence, such as Canada and parts of the Caribbean. However, its roots can be traced back to the northern regions of France, where it originated as a descriptive nickname for individuals with a bright or clear appearance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leclair
Among Census respondents with the surname Leclair, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Leclair bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Leclair surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 6,965
- Two or more races4.3% · 332
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 253
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 176
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 52
- Black or African American0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leclair
Leclair appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,162
+326 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.77
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#4,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,810
-352 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Down 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,196 | 7,836 | 2.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,351 | 8,162 | 2.77 | +326 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #4,401 | 7,810 | 2.61 | -352 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 50 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Leclair surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,351 | #4,401 | -1.1% |
| Count | 8,162 | 7,810 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.77 | 2.61 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leclair bearers went from 8,162 to 7,810 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,351 to #4,401.
FAQ
Leclair surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leclair?
Name Census estimates that about 8,956 living Americans carry the surname Leclair. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,271 residents.
How common is Leclair?
Leclair ranks #4,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,810 people with the surname Leclair. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,956), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Leclair.
Has Leclair become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leclair went from 8,162 recorded bearers to 7,810. That is a decrease of 352 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,351 to #4,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Leclair?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leclair, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leclair in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (6,965 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leclair appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Leclair (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Leclair mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a clearing or glade. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Leclair (2.61 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Leclair?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.