Find out how popular the last name St. Claire 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. Claire.

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

Popularity of St. Claire in America

St. Claire is the 26042nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The St. Claire surname appeared 941 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 St. Claire.

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

The surname STCLAIRE is of Anglo-Norman French origin, tracing its roots back to the 11th century when the Normans conquered England. It is derived from the Old French phrase "sainte claire," which translates to "holy light" or "bright saint."

The name first emerged in Gloucestershire and Somerset, where some of the earliest recorded examples of the surname can be found in medieval records. It is believed that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a church or monastery dedicated to St. Clare of Assisi, a 13th-century Italian saint renowned for her devotion and piety.

One of the earliest documented references to the STCLAIRE name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Sancta Clara." This entry suggests that the name was already well-established in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, a prominent family bearing the STCLAIRE surname held lands and properties near the village of St. Clere in Kent. This area likely contributed to the evolution of the name's spelling over time.

Notable individuals with the STCLAIRE surname throughout history include Sir John STCLAIRE (c. 1450-1518), a English knight and landowner during the Wars of the Roses; Elizabeth STCLAIRE (c. 1560-1628), an English noblewoman and courtier to Queen Elizabeth I; and Henry STCLAIRE (1678-1753), a French-born English architect who designed several notable buildings in London.

Other notable figures include Margaret STCLAIRE (1802-1878), an American poet and abolitionist; and Sir Hilary STCLAIRE (1875-1959), a British diplomat and Ambassador to Spain during the early 20th century.

Throughout its history, the STCLAIRE surname has undergone various spellings, including St. Clere, St. Clare, and Sinclair, reflecting the influence of different languages and regional dialects on the name's evolution.

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

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

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. Claire 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. Claire 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. Claire 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. Claire, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!