NameCensus.

UK surname

Cleere

An English surname of Irish origin derived from the Irish Gaelic "O'Cleirigh", meaning "descendant of the cleric".

In the 1881 census there were 15 people recorded with the Cleere surname, ranking it #31,451 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 254, ranked #16,632, up from #31,451 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rochdale, Ealing and Sunderland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cleere is 261 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1593.3%.

1881 census count

15

Ranked #31,451

Modern count

254

2016, ranked #16,632

Peak year

2014

261 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cleere had 15 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,451 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 254 in 2016, ranked #16,632.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 53 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Cleere surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cleere surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cleere 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 17 #30,267
1861 historical 22 #31,140
1881 historical 15 #31,451
1891 historical 53 #29,946
1901 historical 25 #31,259
1911 historical 44 #28,454
1997 modern 243 #15,556
1998 modern 248 #15,772
1999 modern 237 #16,360
2000 modern 241 #16,146
2001 modern 232 #16,314
2002 modern 242 #16,186
2003 modern 227 #16,718
2004 modern 226 #16,829
2005 modern 223 #16,938
2006 modern 233 #16,560
2007 modern 236 #16,617
2008 modern 239 #16,583
2009 modern 244 #16,706
2010 modern 259 #16,386
2011 modern 250 #16,637
2012 modern 251 #16,467
2013 modern 254 #16,603
2014 modern 261 #16,421
2015 modern 257 #16,475
2016 modern 254 #16,632

Geography

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Where Cleeres are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rochdale, Ealing, Sunderland and Wycombe. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rochdale 024 Rochdale
2 Ealing 028 Ealing
3 Sunderland 003 Sunderland
4 Ealing 020 Ealing
5 Wycombe 013 Wycombe

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cleere

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cleere

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cleere, 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 Cleere surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Cleere 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Cleere is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cleere 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

Cleere falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cleere is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Cleere

The surname CLEERE originated in Ireland and has its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "cliar," which means a level or flat surface, possibly referring to someone who lived on a plain or flat land.

CLEERE is an anglicized version of the Irish surname Ó Cléire, which translates to "descendant of Clére." Clére was a personal name derived from the Gaelic word "cliar," suggesting that the name may have originated from a place name or a descriptive nickname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a figure named Donnchadh Ó Cléire, who lived in the 13th century and was a notable scholar and poet.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official documents from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. The Fiants record a grant of land to a person named Dermot O'Clere in County Cork, Ireland, in 1543.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John Cleere, born in Ireland around 1600. He immigrated to Virginia in the early 17th century and is recorded as a landowner and prominent figure in the colony.

Another notable figure was Sir Edmond Cleere, a 17th-century Irish politician and landowner. Born in County Waterford in 1628, he served as a member of the Irish Parliament and was knighted in 1677.

In the 18th century, Michael Cleere (1727-1805) was a renowned Irish architect and builder. He designed and constructed several notable buildings in Dublin, including the Rotunda Hospital and the Royal Exchange.

Richard Cleere (1766-1840) was an Irish-born British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General and was awarded the Order of the Bath for his military service.

John Cleere (1838-1923) was an Irish-born American businessman and politician. He immigrated to the United States in the 1860s and became a successful merchant and banker in New York City, serving as a member of the New York State Assembly.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cleere families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cleere 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. Surrey leads with 8 Cleeres recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.24x.

County Total Index
Surrey 8 11.24x
Middlesex 5 3.42x
Worcestershire 2 10.48x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Battersea in Surrey leads with 6 Cleeres recorded in 1881 and an index of 111.73x.

Place Total Index
Battersea 6 111.73x
Fulham London 4 188.68x
Kings Norton 2 116.96x
Lambeth 2 15.70x
St George Bloomsbury 1 119.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ada 1
Augusta 1
Charlotte 1
Jane 1
Jean 1
Jessie 1
Mabel 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Henry 2
Alfred 1
Edward 1
George 1
Lawrence 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Cleere households.

FAQ

Cleere surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cleere surname in 1881?

In 1881, 15 people were recorded with the Cleere surname. That placed it at #31,451 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cleere surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 254 in 2016. That gives Cleere a modern rank of #16,632.

What does the Cleere surname mean?

An English surname of Irish origin derived from the Irish Gaelic "O'Cleirigh", meaning "descendant of the cleric".

What does the Cleere map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cleere 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.