NameCensus.

UK surname

Clary

Derived from the Latin word "clarus," meaning clear, bright, or famous.

In the 1881 census there were 322 people recorded with the Clary surname, ranking it #9,262 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 176, ranked #21,298, down from #9,262 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Saxham, Great, Thorpe and Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mole Valley, Southend-on-Sea and West Dorset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Clary is 486 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 45.3%.

1881 census count

322

Ranked #9,262

Modern count

176

2016, ranked #21,298

Peak year

1861

486 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Clary had 322 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,262 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 176 in 2016, ranked #21,298.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 486 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Clary surname distribution map

The map shows where the Clary surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Clary surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Clary over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 356 #6,636
1861 historical 486 #5,372
1881 historical 322 #9,262
1891 historical 360 #9,614
1901 historical 308 #11,446
1911 historical 277 #12,067
1997 modern 204 #17,409
1998 modern 212 #17,479
1999 modern 204 #18,021
2000 modern 196 #18,431
2001 modern 190 #18,520
2002 modern 198 #18,410
2003 modern 178 #19,489
2004 modern 180 #19,424
2005 modern 172 #19,908
2006 modern 167 #20,447
2007 modern 165 #20,893
2008 modern 168 #20,828
2009 modern 169 #21,190
2010 modern 176 #21,101
2011 modern 168 #21,563
2012 modern 159 #22,361
2013 modern 176 #21,237
2014 modern 175 #21,477
2015 modern 173 #21,542
2016 modern 176 #21,298

Geography

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Where Clarys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Saxham, Great, Thorpe, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a, St Dunstan Stepney and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mole Valley, Southend-on-Sea, West Dorset, Maldon and Rochford. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Saxham, Great Suffolk
2 Thorpe Lincolnshire
3 Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a Essex
4 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mole Valley 012 Mole Valley
2 Southend-on-Sea 002 Southend-on-Sea
3 West Dorset 012 West Dorset
4 Maldon 002 Maldon
5 Rochford 003 Rochford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Clary

These lists show first names that appear often with the Clary surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Clary

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Clary, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Clary surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Clary household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Clary is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Clary is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Clary falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Clary is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Clary, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Clary

The surname Clary originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "clarus," meaning "bright" or "clear." The name likely referred to someone with a bright or clear complexion or personality.

In the 12th century, the name appeared in records from the town of Clary in the Somme department of northern France. This suggests that the surname may have initially been a locative name, denoting someone from the village of Clary.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Clarus in Huntingdonshire, England. This entry indicates that the name had spread to England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name was also documented in various forms, such as Clarius, Clericus, and Clarice. These variations likely arose from different regional pronunciations and spellings.

Notable individuals with the surname Clary include:

1. René Clary (1608-1690), a French Jesuit priest and theologian. 2. Jacques-François Clary (1725-1804), a French merchant and politician who served as a deputy in the Estates-General. 3. Désirée Clary (1777-1860), a French woman who was briefly engaged to Napoleon Bonaparte before marrying Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, the future King of Sweden and Norway. 4. John Clary (1792-1847), an American politician who served as the 18th Governor of Ohio from 1835 to 1837. 5. Martin Clary (1809-1884), an American pioneer and politician who served as the 11th Governor of Indiana from 1857 to 1861.

The surname Clary has been carried across various regions of Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration patterns of families over centuries. Its origins can be traced back to medieval France, where it emerged as a descriptive or locative name, ultimately becoming a distinctive part of many family lineages.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Clary families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Clary surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 70 Clarys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.21x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 70 2.21x
Essex 58 9.27x
Suffolk 32 8.29x
Surrey 27 1.75x
Lincolnshire 19 3.75x
Oxfordshire 18 9.19x
Lancashire 16 0.43x
Durham 9 0.95x
Glamorgan 9 1.63x
Derbyshire 8 1.61x
Midlothian 8 1.88x
Hampshire 7 1.08x
Cheshire 6 0.86x
Isle of Man 6 10.19x
Kent 6 0.55x
Renfrewshire 5 2.04x
Staffordshire 5 0.47x
Fife 4 2.13x
Gloucestershire 4 0.64x
Lanarkshire 2 0.20x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.34x
Devon 1 0.15x
Morayshire 1 2.03x
Somerset 1 0.20x
Warwickshire 1 0.13x
Yorkshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Mile End Old Town London in Middlesex leads with 29 Clarys recorded in 1881 and an index of 42.98x.

Place Total Index
Mile End Old Town London 29 42.98x
Thorpe St Peter 16 2580.65x
Bulmer 14 1842.11x
Colchester St James 11 433.07x
Exning 9 461.54x
Islington London 9 2.93x
Lambeth 9 3.26x
Barrow 8 808.08x
Clerkenwell London 8 10.69x
Ipswich St Peter 8 153.85x
Litchurch 8 40.06x
Merthyr Tydfil 8 15.08x
West Ham 8 5.79x
Woodstock 8 650.41x
Alverstoke 7 29.76x
Middridge 7 752.69x
Ballingdon Cum Brundon 6 759.49x
Bromborough 6 413.79x
Colchester St Giles 6 97.09x
Maughold 6 132.16x
Newbattle 6 165.29x
Deptford St Paul 5 5.99x
Enstone 5 416.67x
Manchester 5 2.96x
Port Glasgow 5 42.09x
Rugeley 5 65.10x
Battersea 4 3.43x
Bermondsey 4 4.24x
Collessie 4 185.19x
Croydon 4 4.66x
Frating 4 1481.48x
Paddington London 4 3.43x
St Pancras London 4 1.57x
Willesden 4 13.39x
Garston 3 27.03x
Great Grimsby 3 9.33x
Herringswell 3 1428.57x
Kelvedon 3 179.64x
Layer De La Hay 3 400.00x
Cavendish 2 160.00x
Charlbury 2 90.91x
Govan 2 0.79x
Hammersmith London 2 2.56x
Kingston On Thames 2 5.39x
Newmarket St Mary 2 67.57x
Northleach 2 217.39x
Oldham 2 1.65x
Oxford St Mary Virgin 2 571.43x
Rotherhithe 2 5.11x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 2 44.54x
Aberdeen Old Machar 1 1.63x
Barnes 1 15.31x
Birmingham 1 0.38x
Blackburn 1 1.00x
Brandon Byshottles 1 8.46x
Bristol Christchurch 1 111.11x
Bristol St Paul In 1 6.04x
Brixham 1 13.07x
Bromley London 1 1.43x
Chester All Sts 1 200.00x
Chipping Norton 1 22.08x
Clapham 1 2.52x
Cramond 1 31.06x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.59x
Hornchurch 1 32.57x
Hornsey 1 2.49x
Liverpool 1 0.44x
Newton In Makerfield 1 8.68x
Sheffield 1 1.00x
St Botolph Aldersgate 1 27.47x
St George Hanover Square 1 1.79x
St Martin In Fields 1 5.27x
St Marylebone London 1 0.59x
St Peter Le Poer London 1 357.14x
Tickenham 1 277.78x
Toxteth Park 1 0.79x
Tudhoe 1 12.12x
West Derby 1 0.91x
Withington 1 8.25x
Ystradyfodwg 1 2.07x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Clary surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 22
Elizabeth 12
Sarah 12
Caroline 7
Ellen 7
Emma 7
Alice 6
Annie 5
Kate 5
Ann 4
Eliza 4
Harriet 4
Harriett 4
Lucy 4
Martha 4
Emily 3
Esther 3
Florence 3
Jane 3
Anne 2
Bridget 2
Catherine 2
Hannah 2
Louisa 2
Lydia 2
Margaret 2
Alethea 1
Amelia 1
Beatrice 1
Cathrine 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Eva 1
Flora 1
Frederick 1
Gweney 1
Jessie 1
Johannah 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Margret 1
Maria 1
Marianne 1
Marie 1
Marther 1
Maud 1
May 1
Milly 1
Phoebe 1
Polly 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Clary surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 20
Thomas 17
William 16
George 9
James 9
Arthur 6
Charles 6
Henry 4
Samuel 4
Walter 4
Frederick 3
Joseph 3
Edward 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Herbert 2
Michael 2
Richd. 2
Robert 2
Adam 1
Alfred 1
Amos 1
Arohm 1
Benjamin 1
Cecil 1
Daniel 1
Ebeneza 1
Ebenezer 1
Harry 1
Hugh 1
J. 1
Jonathan 1
Mark 1
Marshall 1
Matthew 1
Patrick 1
Peter 1
Richard 1
Saml. 1
Thos. 1
Timothy 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Clary surname: questions and answers

How common was the Clary surname in 1881?

In 1881, 322 people were recorded with the Clary surname. That placed it at #9,262 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Clary surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 176 in 2016. That gives Clary a modern rank of #21,298.

What does the Clary surname mean?

Derived from the Latin word "clarus," meaning clear, bright, or famous.

What does the Clary map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Clary bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.