Contents [hide]

Klee History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Klee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The ancestors of the Klee family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Lincolnshire, where they held a family seat at Claye. The place name literally means "dweller at the clayey place." 1

Early Origins of the Klee family

The surname Klee was first found in Lincolnshire where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William del Cley and Robert del Clay as holding lands there at that time. The same rolls also listed Alicia in le Clay, Huntingdonshire. 2

Later, in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Agnes del Clay; Johannes del Clay; and Adam del Clay, Howdenshire. 2

"Clay has long been a Nottinghamshire surname. It was represented in the parish of Hayton in the time of Henry VII. Hercules Clay was a mayor of Newark in the reign of Charles I. (S.), and Clay is still a Newark name. The Clays of Southwell during last century carried their pedigree back 200 years, and their name is yet in the town. Six centuries ago Clay was a common name in the east of England, especially in Essex, Lincolnshire, Hunts, Cambridgeshire, and Beds. It is still well established in Lincolnshire, as well as in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire." 3

Early History of the Klee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Klee research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1457, 1537, 1642, 1646, 1766, 1782, 1784, 1786, 1788, 1791, 1794, 1796, 1797, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1828, 1830, 1832, 1834, 1835, 1837, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 1846, 1854, 1857, 1858, 1867 and 1869 are included under the topic Early Klee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Klee Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Clay, Claye, Cley, Cleye, McClay and others.

Early Notables of the Klee family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Claymond (1457?-1537), English divine and scholar, "the son of John Claymond and Alice his wife, 'sufficient inhabitants' of Frampton in Lincolnshire, where John was born." 4 Frederic Clay, son of James Clay, M.P. for Hull was born Aug. 3, 1840, in the Rue Chaillot, Paris. He was educated in music entirely by Molique, with the exception...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Klee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Klee family to Ireland

Some of the Klee family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Klee migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Klee or a variant listed above:

Klee Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Nickell Klee, aged 30, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 5
Nickel Klee, who arrived in Carolina in 1738 5
Theobald Klee, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 5
Joh Nikel Klee, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 5
Johann Nickel Klee, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Klee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Francis Klee, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1819 5
Friedrich Klee, aged 32, who arrived in America in 1843 5
Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Klee, aged 34, who arrived in America in 1843 5
James Leopold William Klee, who arrived in Mississippi in 1850 5
Joh Klee, who landed in America in 1854 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Klee migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Klee Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Wilhelm Klee, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865
Margaret Klee, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865
Hannah Klee, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865
Catherine Klee, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Klee (post 1700) +

Ken Klee (b. 1971), American professional NHL ice hockey
Victor L. Klee Jr. (1925-2007), American mathematician
Oscar H. Klee, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 2nd District, 1974 6
Charles W. Klee, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Westminster, Maryland, 1934-47 6
Miguel Ángel Klee Orellana (b. 1977), Guatemalan professional football goalkeeper
Karl Heinz Klee (1930-2008), Austrian sports official and a lawyer, recipient of the Gold Medal for Service to the Republic of Austria
Bernhard Klee (b. 1936), German conductor
Carsten Klee (b. 1970), former German footballer
Ernst Klee (1942-2013), German journalist and author, known for his writings of the medical crimes of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich
Paul Klee (1879-1940), Swiss-born, German and Swiss painter
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Klee Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Per orbem
Motto Translation: Through the world.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html