Re: Mac Clarens to Clarence
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In reply to:
Clarence Family History
7/01/01
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SUBJ: Mac Clarens to Clarence
I am currently reading "Clans & Families of Ireland & Scotland: An Ethnography of the Gael, A.D. 500-1750" by C. Thomas Cairney, and the ancient surname Mac LARENS is mentioned in this book. My guess would be that the surname CLARENCE started out as:
the Scottish surname Mac Larens
Mac Clarens
Mac Clarence
Clarence
or
the Scottish surname Mac Larens
Mac Clarens
Clarens
Clarence
The type of jump from Mac Larens to Mac Clarens was a common switch in spelling over the centuries. The c of the Ma"c" became part of the 2nd syllable, in this case LAR to CLAR. Examples would be Mac Intosh to Mac Kintosh, Mac Lintock to Mac Clintock, Mac Alpin to Mac Calpin, and Mac Owen to Mac Keown.
The book "Irish Names & Surnames" by Rev. Patrick Woulfe (Priest of Limerick Diocese), 1923,reprinted 1992, has the following two entries:
1) page 300
Labrant, Labras (in Irish Gaelic)
Larens, Lawrence, etc.; 'son of Laurence' (Latin Laurentius), a rather common personal {first} name among the Anglo-Norman invaders.
2) page 385
Mac Labrainn (in Irish Gaelic)
MacLaurin, MacLauren, MacLaren, [Lawrenson, Lawrinson, Laurison, Lawson], &c.; 'son of Laurence'; a Scottish surname.
Check out Clan MacLaren at:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Heritage/FSCNS/Scots_NS/Clans/MacLaren.htmlhttp://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Heritage/FSCNS/Scots_NS/Clans/MacLaren.html
Mac Clarence is mentioned as a sept on their webpage:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Heritage/FSCNS/Scots_NS/Clans/MacLaren/Septs_MacLaren/Septs_MacLaren.htmlhttp://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Heritage/FSCNS/Scots_NS/Clans/MacLaren/Septs_MacLaren/Septs_MacLaren.html
Other sites:
http://www.ClanMacLarenNA.org/http://www.ClanMacLarenNA.org/
People at these sites may have some insight into CLARENCE as a surname. Be mindful that Scotland & northern Ireland, genealogically speaking, is the same country -- no difference.
When all is said & done, my opinion is that you can safely assume that your CLARENCEs from Ireland were part of Clan MacLaren (of whatever spelling) of olde.
The reason why I am interested in the name CLARENCE is that my grandfather's "first name" was CLARENCE (Clarence CARLOS). In researching his mother's line (MacKNIGHT) and other MacKNIGHTs in Federal Censuses of New York City in the 19th-century, the first name CLARENCE shows up in a bunch of MacKNIGHT families -- and CLARENCE as a first name is not all that common in the first place. So to have several independent MacKNIGHT families name their boys CLARENCE time after time is remarkable. My gut feeling is that these families MacKNIGHT at one point married into the Mac LAREN clan, and they passed the CLARENCE name along as a first name.
Of course, variations in spelling happened a lot, so related surnames to CLARENCE would be LAURIN, LAREN, CLAREN and the like, with or without the Mac, and with or without a beginning C, and I am sure other mutations.
May all beings awaken & be free,
Laura S.
Gilroy, California, USA
http://www.lighthousewoods.com/genealogy/carlos/carlos_index.htmlhttp://www.lighthousewoods.com/genealogy/carlos/carlos_index.html
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