Explore the Family Name St. Clair
The meaning of St. Clair
1. English and Scottish: variant of Sinclair. This is also a French Canadian and American French altered form of the same surname. 2. French (Saint-Clair): habitational name from any of several places, e.g. in Normandy, named Saint-Clair (from the dedication of their churches to Saint Clarus). Compare Saintclair. 3. Haitian (also Saint-Clair): ornamental name or nickname, perhaps ironic, composed of French saint ‘saint’ or ‘holy’ and clair ‘clear’ or ‘lightness’. Alternatively, perhaps of the same French origin as 2 above. Compare Saintclair.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name St. Clair in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname St. Clair has maintained steady popularity from 2000 to 2010. In both years, it was ranked as the 2318th most popular name in the United States, with an unchanged count of 14,296 individuals bearing this surname. The proportion per 100k people also remained consistent at 5.3, indicating no significant fluctuations or changes.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,318 | #2,318 | 0% |
| Count | 14,296 | 14,296 | 0% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.3 | 5.3 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name St. Clair
As for the ethnic identity associated with the surname St. Clair, the Decennial U.S. Census shows that it is primarily linked to those identifying as White, accounting for 87.09% in both 2000 and 2010. Moreover, the surname is also associated with other ethnicities albeit in smaller proportions; there's an association with those identifying as Black (7.10%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (2.01%), individuals of two or more races (1.72%), Hispanic (1.63%), and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.45%). These figures have remained stable from 2000 to 2010, demonstrating no significant shifts in the ethnic identity related to the St. Clair surname over this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 87.09% | 87.09% | 0% |
| Black | 7.1% | 7.1% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.01% | 2.01% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.72% | 1.72% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 1.63% | 1.63% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.45% | 0.45% | 0% |
St. Clair ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname St. Clair is British & Irish, which comprises 51.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.6%) and Eastern European (5.3%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Greek & Balkan.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.7% |
| French & German | 25.6% |
| Eastern European | 5.3% |
| Other | 17.5% |
Possible origins of the surname St. Clair
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name St. Clair have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
What St. Clair haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname St. Clair is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-ZS4585 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Drummond, Lacey, Luke, Lloyd, Phillips, Morgan, Davis, Jones, Hutchinson, Davies.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with St. Clair surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname St. Clair have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"St. Clair" Surname 50.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"St. Clair" Surname 24.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"St. Clair" Surname 24.1%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"St. Clair" Surname 19.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name St. Clair?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname St. Clair are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition