It is named after Pierre Leclerc, a settler who gave a large portion of his land for the construction of the church, the rector and their dependencies.
The municipality's recent constitution dates from 2000 and follows the amalgamation of the village of Leclercville with the parish of Sainte-Emmélie, but both communities had been settled since the beginning of the 18th century, and most considerably at the end of the 19th century.