The Name

Cleere or its many supposed variants cannot be ascribed to any definite source or time period as is the case for the vast majority of surnames. Poor literacy levels throughout Europe during times of census (usually for taxation) being the main reason for inaccurately documented names has left us with a bewildering number of variants to most surnames and 'Cleere' is no different.

However, as a 'Cleere' you are extremely fortunate because it is a relatively rare surname and whereas we cannot say for sure how it came into being, we can discount several origins. The most important of these is Anglo Saxon. In actual fact, virtually all evidence points to a Norman/Anglo/Irish origin and debate remains firmly within that framework. Over the coming months we will look at the more likely origins of the name and offer supporting evidence but ultimately each reader must decide for themselves how they ended up with such a curious signature and why there are so few of us.