Show ContentsKleis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Kleis comes from German Medieval given name Klaus.

Early Origins of the Kleis family

The surname Kleis was first found in Mecklenburg, where the name contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation, and would later play a large role in the tribal and national conflicts of the area. Over time, the family name branched into other houses, where their influence continued to be felt because of the important role they played in the local social and political affairs.

Early History of the Kleis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kleis research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1777, 1811, 1814 and 1823 are included under the topic Early Kleis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kleis Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Kleist, Von Kleist, Kleis, Kleiss, Kleste, Kleiste, Klest and many more.

Early Notables of the Kleis family

Prominent bearers of the name Kleis at this time were

  • the Kleist family of Pomerainia...
  • Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) was a well known German dramatist and poet, born in Frankfurt-am-Oder...


United States Kleis migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kleis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Anna Kleis, who landed in America in 1751 [1]
Kleis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Elisabeth Catharine Kleis, aged 22, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 [1]
  • Gottfried Kleis, aged 25, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 [1]
  • Christian Kleis, who arrived in Missouri in 1848 [1]
  • Gees je VanMaanen Kleis, aged 28, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 [1]
  • Jacob Kleis, aged 6, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 [1]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kleis (post 1700) +

  • Dave Kleis (b. 1964), American politician, Mayor of St. Cloud, Minnesota (2005-), he served in the Minnesota State Senate from 1995 to 2005
  • Clara Kleis, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1959 [2]
  • Mikkel Kleis, Danish winner of the 2010 Copenhagen Marathon
  • Christian Martin Kleis (1850-1908), known as Martin Kleis, born in Denmark, resident trader on Nui in the late 19th century who typically exported about 100 tons of copra each year from the Ellice Islands
  • Birgit Kleis (b. 1956), Danish politician


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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