leClerc

[halcyon]

I am trying to trace the origins of my father's middle name leClerc. He is Ian leClerc Harvey b. 1929 in Dunedin, New Zealand. His uncle William also bore this as a middle name, but nobody in the family knows of its origins. Some historical surnames going back include Bass and Young, and possibly Pacey, MacCarthy and Faisandier. We have known links on the Harvey side to the Stirling Harveys - William the clock maker and Sir George the painter and to the Blackadders - but can find no connection there to leClerc. Any assistance would be hugely appreciated.

[Ruskie]

You would probably be wise to just research both sides of your paternal family in the usual way in the hope that you come across someone by that name.

I discovered why one of my Uncles had a particular given name and found it was a surname of a female ancestor 120 years earlier.

Alternatively it may have been a name adopted by earlier generations to honour a dignitary, a friend or someone they admired. I've seen examples of families giving children middle names of neighbours and employers ....

Do you know whereabouts these NZ ancestors originated? Was it Scotland as the Scots loved using surnames as middle names. I wonder if the surname has Huguenot origins?

[Ruskie]

There seem to be a few Leclerc families in the UK censuses so it does exist as a surname at least - also might be worth considering different spellings of the name, such as Leclerk. 

[garstonite]

there is a Le Clerc family in  Wellington City ,Wellington in 1888
Le Clerc de Pulligny is the official name - her name was Ida Le Clerc born 1858 and she married  Louis Jouffroy Dabbans b 1851  in 1883 - Ida died in 1953 - so lived to be 94  - 95 ...has anyone any memories of an Aunty Ida ??.....a great Aunty Ida ??
does the name Dabbans ring a bell ??

even if Ida is not connected , this is still a good read
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famille_Le_Clerc&prev=search

[garstonite]

re Ruskies query "I wonder were the Huguenots" - according to that Wiki Le Clerc site  - they were staunch French Protestants and so it would appear they were Huguenots