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

McClard, 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 McClard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McClard in America

McClard is the 32599th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McClard surname appeared 705 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McClard.

We can also compare 2010 data for McClard 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 McClard

The surname McClard is of Scottish origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be a variant of the more common Scottish surname McCleary, which is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "lèir" meaning "bright" or "radiant."

The earliest known records of the McClard surname can be traced back to the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. Some historians suggest that the name may have originated from a place name, such as the lands of Clary or Clerie in the parish of Stewarton, East Ayrshire.

One of the earliest documented instances of the McClard surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Maclerid," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of McClard.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the McClard name was John McClard, a Scottish merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Irvine, Ayrshire. Records from the time indicate that he was involved in trade with the Low Countries and owned several properties in the area.

Another notable figure in the history of the McClard surname was Robert McClard, a Scottish soldier who fought in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms during the 17th century. He served under the Marquis of Montrose and was mentioned in contemporary accounts for his bravery in battle.

In the 18th century, a branch of the McClard family settled in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the region of Inverness-shire. One prominent member of this branch was Alexander McClard, who was a successful farmer and landowner in the village of Culloden.

During the 19th century, the McClard surname began to spread beyond Scotland as many families emigrated to other parts of the British Empire and beyond. One notable figure from this period was William McClard, a Scottish-born engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 1800s.

As the McClard surname continued to disperse throughout the world, it also underwent further variations in spelling, with forms such as McClard, McClerd, and McClaird appearing in various records and documents.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McClard

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

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

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

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