Kleist History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The surname Kleist comes from German Medieval given name Klaus.

Early Origins of the Kleist family

The surname Kleist 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 Kleist family

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

Kleist Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Kleist family

Prominent bearers of the name Kleist 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...

Kleist Ranking

In the United States, the name Kleist is the 12,806^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Kleist migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kleist Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eugen Benedikt Von Kleist, one of the Hessian troops in the American Revolutionary war, who was on record in North America in 1778

Kleist Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joh W Kleist, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 2
Caroline Kleist, who came from Bremen to New York city in 1851
Friedrich Kleist, who arrived in New Orleans via Hamburg in 1851
Nicholes Kleist, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1852 2
Charlotte Kleist, who arrived in New York city, destined for Wisconsin in 1868
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kleist Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Emile A J Kleist, who arrived in Arkansas in 1900 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Kleist (post 1700) +

John C. Kleist, American politician, Candidate for justice of Wisconsin State Supreme Court, 1922 3
Henry Kleist, American politician, Member of Wisconsin State Senate, 1919-21 3
Baron Frederick Joseph Eugene de Kleist (1853-1911), pioneering German organ builder
Karl Kleist (1879-1960), German neurologist and psychiatrist
Ewald von Kleist (1700-1748), German jurist, Lutheran cleric, and physicist, co-inventor of the Leyden jar
Ewald Christian von Kleist (1715-1759), German poet and officer
Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (1881-1954), leading German field marshal during World War II
Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (1777-1811), German poet, dramatist, novelist and short story writer
Jakob Edvard Kuupik Kleist (b. 1958), Socialist and Left-wing Greenlandic politician

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html