Surname Clergy - Meaning and Origin
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Clergy: What does the surname Clergy mean?
The surname Clergy is derived from the Old French word “clergie.” This term was used to describe a specifically trained class of people in the Catholic Church. Clergy members include bishops, priests, deacons, etc., who have been ordained to perform religious rites and sacraments.
The surname Clergy emerged during the medieval period when surnames first began to be adopted. In this period, surnames were used as an easy way to distinguish individuals from one another. Those bearing the surname Clergy often belonged to the Church or close relatives of church members.
The surname Clergy is a common surname in the United States and England. It also appears in other countries besides the United Kingdom, such as Spain, France, Canada, Italy, Australia, and Germany. Those who bear the name might have ancestry that traces back to a church leader or a profession connected to the church.
The suffix -er in the surname Clergy suggests that it is occupational in origin. In other words, the surname Clergy is likely to have originated from a person who was employed or served in the church.
Although there are many potential meanings behind the surname Clergy, it generally denotes a person or family’s connection to the Catholic Church.
Order DNA origin analysisClergy: Where does the name Clergy come from?
The last name Clergy is a common surname in English-speaking countries in Europe, as well as other parts of the world, including in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is an occupational surname, and can be traced to Old French, where it was spelled as "clerge" or "clerghe", which means "cleric". It was originally used toidentify someone who was a member of the clergy, or was employed in an ecclesiastical capacity, such as a priest or a minister. In the United Kingdom, the surname Clergy is most popular in England, where it ranks as the 156th most common surname. It is also common in Scotland, where it is the 175th most popular surname, and in Ireland, where it is the 318th most popular. In the United States, it is most common in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where it is the 1,112th and 2,071st most popular surname respectively. Clergy is also a common surname in Canada, particularly in the province of Ontario, where it is the 1,208th most popular surname. In Australia, the surname is quite rare, where it is currently the 8,889th most common name.
Variations of the surname Clergy
The surname Clergy is a very common surname that has many variant spellings, as well as many surnames of the same origin. The name is derived from the Old English word clerice, meaninghood and is generally understood to denote a person belonging to a religious order such as a priest or monk.
The variant spellings of Clergy include Clerig, Clerie, Clery, and Clarie. Some other surnames of the same origin include Clerk, Clarke, Claridge, and Clegg.
Clerk and Clarke are the two most common variant spellings, and the one with probably the highest historical prevalence. The Clerk spelling was used mainly in the UK, whereas Clarke was used more in the US. According to the National Trust for Scotland, the Clerk spelling was predominant in Scotland from the 13th to the 19th century.
The Clegg variant is derived from the Old English wordclagan, which roughly translates as “to digest” and was used especially for craftsmen and traders.
The Clarke spelling is known to have been used from early times in Ireland. One prominent example of this spelling was the Rev. John Clarke, who was born in Ireland in 1612 and served as a minister in Massachusetts from 1641 to 1667.
The surname Claridge is French in origin, and may be derived from the Latin clarus, meaning “bright,” “clear,” or “shining.” The Clerie spelling is also of French origin and was mentioned as early as the 12th century.
Finally, the Clery spelling may come from the French word clerge, meaning “clergy” or “minister.” This was likely adopted by English speakers in the 16th century.
Overall, the surname Clergy has a long and varied history, with many variant spellings and surnames of the same origin.
Famous people with the name Clergy
- Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (1900-2002), British royalty and wife to King George VI
- Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (b. 1956), leader of the Church of England
- Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor (1932-2017), the ninth Archbishop of Westminster
- Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin (b. 1945), leader of the Archdiocese of Dublin
- Bishop of Durham Paul Butler (b. 1970), the Church of England’s lead bishop for interreligious relationships
- Pope Francis (b. 1936), Catholic Pope and leader of the Catholic Church
- Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols (b. 1945), leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales
- Bishop of Ely Stephen Conway (b. 1951), seventh Bishop of Ely
- Bishop of London Sarah Mullally (b. 1959), third female Bishop of London
- Dr. Richard Chartres (b. 1945), Bishop of London and Governor of the South Bank University