An expedition led by the French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle named it Lac Sainte-Claire, because they entered the lake on August 12, 1679, the feast day of Saint Clare of Assisi.

[5] The lake is named on English maps as early as 1710 as Saint Clare.

[6] The name is sometimes attributed as honoring the American Revolutionary War General and Governor of the Northwest Territory Arthur St. Clair, but the name was in use with the current spelling long before St. Clair was a notable figure.

[8] As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 6,423 people, 2,266 households, and 1,828 families residing in the township.

16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.