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

St. Clair, 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 St. Clair surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of St. Clair in America

St. Clair is the 2469th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The St. Clair surname appeared 14,590 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname St. Clair.

We can also compare 2010 data for St. Clair 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 St. Clair

The surname STCLAIR is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French "seint cler" meaning "holy brightness". It is believed to have originated as a locational name for someone who lived near a place dedicated to St. Clair, a 7th-century abbot of Normandy.

The earliest recorded instances of the name STCLAIR date back to the 11th century in Normandy, France. The name was later introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, and is found in various early records and manuscripts, including the Domesday Book of 1086.

In the 12th century, the STCLAIR family gained prominence in Scotland, where they held lands in Haddingtonshire (now East Lothian). One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir William STCLAIR, who accompanied King David I of Scotland on his crusade to the Holy Land in 1138.

Another notable figure was Sir Henry STCLAIR (c. 1270-1347), a Scottish nobleman and crusader who fought in the Crusades and was later appointed Chamberlain of the Royal Household by King Robert the Bruce. The STCLAIR family later became one of the most influential families in Scotland during the Middle Ages.

In England, the STCLAIR surname was also associated with several places, including St. Clere in Oxfordshire (from which the variant spelling "SINCLAIR" is derived) and St. Clair in Somerset. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name in England was Sir John STCLAIR (c. 1350-1419), a prominent military commander who served under King Henry IV and King Henry V during the Hundred Years' War.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the STCLAIR surname spread to other parts of Europe, including France and the Netherlands. Notable figures from this period include Desiderius Erasmus STCLAIR (1466-1536), a Dutch Renaissance humanist and scholar, and René STCLAIR (1598-1677), a French Jesuit missionary and explorer who was one of the first Europeans to map the Great Lakes region of North America.

Throughout history, the STCLAIR surname has been associated with numerous notable individuals across various fields, including literature, politics, and the arts. Some other prominent bearers of the name include Arthur STCLAIR (1737-1818), an American patriot and statesman who served as the third President of the Continental Congress, and Arthur STCLAIR (1884-1961), a British author and playwright best known for his mystery and crime novels.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name St. Clair

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

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

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

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