I have done some research and found that the surname Cleare is part of the Cleery, Clarey, etc and most are connect to Lord De Clare who was a Norman Chieftain though some believe him to be a traitor. You can read up on the history of this person. Since De Clare is the surname many different branches of this family I have been able to find though the spelling is different. My 5th great grandmother was a descendant of this man though her surname went from Clare to Cleere, Cleery depending on the documents you read. I have only been able to find this surname in Ireland so maybe if you find more on it you can let me know.