Surname McCleary - Meaning and Origin
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From Celtic Roots to Melodious Legacy: Tracing the Cultural and Historical Journey of the McCleary Clan through iGENEA DNA Test
Discovering your ancestral roots can be an eye-opening adventure, one that paints your personal history in a broader context. My recent iGENEA DNA test has not only traced the geographical origins of my surname, McCleary, but has shed distinguishing light on the cultural, historical, and even legendary aspects of my genealogy.
H. McCleary
read moreMcCleary: What does the surname McCleary mean?
The surname McCleary is of Scottish and Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic name "Mac Cléirich". The name can be broken down into two parts – "Mac," means "son of" and "Cléirich" means "clerk" or "cleric". Therefore, McCleary can be interpreted to mean "son of the cleric". This suggests that in ancient times, the original bearers of the surname were likely descendants of clerics or scholars, indicating a family historical connection to the church, education or academia. The different spelling variations of this surname include McClery, McCleery, McClary among others. The name McCleary is widespread in counties Antrim, Down, and Derry of Northern Ireland, as well as in Scotland.
Order DNA origin analysisMcCleary: Where does the name McCleary come from?
The surname McCleary originates from Scotland and Ireland. It's an Anglicized version of the Gaelic surnames Mac Cléirich or Mac Cléireach, meaning "son of the cleric." This surname was popular among families in which sacred hereditary clerks and scholars were present. The surname is related to a status position within the Celt church.
Despite its origins, the McCleary surname has spread across the globe due to immigration. McCleary families can be found in large numbers today in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. In these countries, they have established themselves in various fields contributing to science, politics, arts, and sports. Despite this widespread diaspora, the surname McCleary remains relatively rare, adding to its unique charm and appeal.
Variations of the surname McCleary
The surname McCleary has a number of different variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. These include McLeary, McClary, McClarey, McLary, McLarey, MacClery, MacLeary, Mackleary and MacCleary.
The name McCleary expands to other surnames such as Clear, Clarey, Clery, McClure, McLure due to phonetic similarities and geographic distribution of families in Ireland, Scotland and England. In its Gaelic origins, it may be represented as Mac Cléirigh, meaning "son of the clerk". Sometimes the prefixes 'Mac' or 'Mc' may be dropped, so variants such as Cleary or Clery also exist.
The surname has undergone changes due to regional dialects, spelling variations, and influence from other languages. Different branches of the same family might adopt different spellings over time.
It's important to remember that some of these variants may also have other origins, or may have developed independently, so while they can be related to McCleary, that is not always the case. Genealogy research often involves considering possible connections among several different surnames.
Famous people with the name McCleary
- Sean McCleary: actor
- Tom McCleary: former NFL player
- Paul McCleary: tech entrepreneur
- Shawn McCleary: professional golf player
- William McCleary: Brigadier General in the United States Marine Corps
- Sarah McCleary: professional dancer
- Kelly McCleary: reality TV star
- Scot McCleary: Grammy Award-winning record producer
- Fredrick McCleary: architect
- Lori McCleary: media executive
- John McCleary: former mayor of Natchez, Mississippi
- Michael McCleary: US Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient
- Stephanie McCleary: film editor
- Robert McCleary: financier
- James McCleary: former Army chief of staff