Show ContentsClever History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The founding heritage of the Clever family is in the Anglo-Saxon culture that once dominated in Britain. The name Clever comes from when one of the family worked as a person who worked with wood. The surname is derived from the Old English word cleofan which means to cleave or split. [1] [2] The variant Clevenger was derived from the occupation "as one who cleaves wood."

Two sources postulate that the name could also have originated from "a dweller on a cleave or cliff." [3] [1]

Early Origins of the Clever family

The surname Clever was first found in Norfolk where Simon le Claver, was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. [4] Later, Agnes le Claver and John le Claver were both listed in Norfolk in 1333 [5] In London, the source Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinesi lists Henry le Claver and John le Clavier.

In Sussex, Richard and John le Cleuar were listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1332. [1]

Early History of the Clever family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clever research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1332, 1379, 1742, 1746, 1784, 1785, 1787, 1790, 1800, 1806, 1815 and 1819 are included under the topic Early Clever History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clever Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Clever has been spelled many different ways, including Cleever, Cleaver, Clever, Kleever, Kleaver, Cleevar, Cleavar, Cliver, Cleiver, Clivar, Cleevor, Clearvor, Cleevare, Clevenger, Kleevare, Cleavare, Kleavare and many more.

Early Notables of the Clever family

Notables of this surname at this time include: William Cleaver (1742-1815), Bishop of St. Asaph, the eldest son of the Rev. W. Cleaver, master of a private school at Twyford in Buckinghamshire, and was the elder brother of Archbishop Cleaver. Cleaver became tutor to the Marquis of Buckingham. He was successively made vicar of Northop in Flintshire, prebendary of Westminster (1784)...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clever Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clever Ranking

In the United States, the name Clever is the 11,575th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [6]


United States Clever migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Clevers to arrive in North America:

Clever Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Clever, aged 16, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Merchant's Hope" [7]
  • Mary Clever, who landed in Virginia in 1653 [7]
  • Thomas Clever, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 [7]
  • Jane Clever, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 [7]
  • John Clever, who landed in Maryland in 1676 [7]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Clever Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Conrod Clever, aged 23, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 [7]
  • Yerick Baltus Clever, aged 24, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 [7]
  • Manin Clever, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 [7]

Contemporary Notables of the name Clever (post 1700) +

  • Kimberly Clever, Actress
  • F. Clever Bald (1897-1970), American teacher and director of the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)


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