Klaassen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The name Klaassen was first used by the people of the German province of Westphalia, which lay in the area between the Rhine and Wesser rivers. It is a patronymic name, derived from the given name of the father of the original bearer. Along with metronymic names, which come from the name of the mother of the bearer, patronymics were one of the most popular early German name types. Klaassen was derived from the baptismal name Clausen, which is a form of the name Nicholas. The given name Nicholas, which means people's victory, was popular among Christians throughout Europe in the Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Klaassen family

The surname Klaassen was first found in Westphalia, where the family made a considerable contribution to the feudal society which shaped modern Europe. The family branched into several houses, all of which played important roles in the local political conflicts which forged the nation.

Early History of the Klaassen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Klaassen research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1622, 1676, 1678, 1786 and 1850 are included under the topic Early Klaassen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Klaassen Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Klaassen include Klassen, Klasse, Klass, Klasen, Klase, Klas, Classen, Classe, Class, Clasen, Clase, Clas, Klasing, Klaasen, Klaasen, Claasen, Klaase, Claase, Klaas and many more.

Early Notables of the Klaassen family

Notables of the period with the name Klaassen were Daniel Clasen, in Latin Danielis Clasenius or Clasenus (1622-1678), a German political theorist, religious scholar, and classicist; and...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Klaassen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Klaassen Ranking

In Netherlands, the name Klaassen is the 133^rd most popular surname with an estimated 8,357 people with that name. [1]

Klaassen migration to the United States +

For many Germans, emigration to North America was an inviting alternative to the trials of life in the old country. From the mid-17th into the present century, thousands of Germans migrated across the Atlantic. They capitalized on the chance to escape poverty and persecution, and to own their own land. After 1650, Germans settled throughout the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also landed in Canada, settling in Ontario or father west on the rich land of the prairies. Among them:

Klaassen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Klaas Klaassen, aged 42, who landed in New York, NY in 1848 [2]
David Klaassen, aged 21, who arrived in New York, NY in 1878 [2]
Elisabeth Klaassen, aged 49, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1879 [2]
Maria Klaassen, aged 15, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1879 [2]
Anna Klaassen, aged 20, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1879 [2]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Klaassen migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Klaassen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Abraham Klaassen, who landed in Manitoba in 1878
Johan Klaassen, who landed in Manitoba in 1878
Martin Klaassen, who arrived in Manitoba in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Klaassen (post 1700) +

Grace Klaassen, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 2012 [3]
Bjorn Klaassen, Dutch animator, known for Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds (2017), Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) and The Division 2 (2019)
Kieran Klaassen, Dutch composer, known for De behandeling, Komt een vrouw bij de dokter (2009) and Dossier K. (2009)
Anna Klaassen, Dutch actress, known for Boeien!, De Swarte Krie van de Deelen and VIPS TV: Reportages (2011)
René Nico Hubertus Klaassen (b. 1961), Dutch gold and bronze medalist field hockey defender who participated in two Summer Olympics (1984) and (1988)
Petronella "Nel" Helene Klaassen (1906-1989), Dutch sculptor
Mihkel Klaassen (1880-1952), Estonian jurist, Justice of the Supreme Court of Estonia since 1924
Jozef Klaassen (b. 1983), New Zealand-born, Dutch rower at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Davy Klaassen (b. 1993), Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Netherlands national team
Arno Klaassen (b. 1979), Dutch bobsledder at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
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