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The distinguished surname Clute emerged among the industrious people of Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Flemish surnames of this type frequently are prefixed by de la or de le, which mean of the or from the. The Clute family originally lived in a place called Cloerterbooke or Cloerterbook in Flanders, which has since been lost to the map. The name is a "a Flemish refugee name; a Thomas Cloerterbooke was Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1586." 1
The surname Clute was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat from early times, approximately the 1400's and granted land there.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clute research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1924 is included under the topic Early Clute History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Clutterbuck, Clitterbuck, Clutterbook and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Clute Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Clute is the 14,373rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Clute
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: