Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
La Clair Coat of Arms / La Clair Family CrestThis French surname of LA CLAIRE was an occupational name for a scribe or secretary, or for a member of a minor religious order. Originally the word CLERK denoted a member of a religious order, originally derived from the Old English word CLERK, and reinforced by the French word CLERK, both of which were from the Latin CLERICUS. The clergy in minor orders were permitted to marry and so found families; thus the surname could have become established. In the Middle Ages it was virtually only members of religious orders who learned to read and write, so that the term clerk came also to be used of a literate man. In many cases the surname may have referred to a professional secretary. The name has numerous spellings which include LE CLEIR, CLARKE, CLERKE, CLERC, CLERQ, LECLER, CLOAREC and CLERJOT, to name but a few. French, or rather Norman French, was the language of the aristocracy and the upper classes in England at the time fixed surnames were being developed, it is therefore not surprising that many of our well-known family names are derived from French words. Originally only Christian or personal names were used, and although a few came into being during the 10th century, surnames were not widely used until much later, when people began to realize the prestige of having a second name. A notable member of the name was Jean Marie LE CLAIR (1697-1764) was the French composer and violinist, born in Lyon. He wrote many fine sonatas for the violin, and also the opera 'Scylla et Glaucus' (1746). He was murdered in a suburb of Paris. American surnames comprise of surnames found in every country throughout the world, many with differences in spelling not seen in the old country due to the inability of clerks and Government officials to record correctly the names given them by unschooled immigrants not familiar with the English, French, German, Portugese, Dutch or Spanish languages currently used in the Port of entry or the part of the country where they settled. When an immigrant arriving in America with little knowledge of English gave his name verbally to the officials, it was written down by them as they heard it, and being thereby 'official' it was often accepted by the immigrant himself as the correct American rendering of his name. |
