Cleaveland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Cleaveland comes from when the family resided in Cleveley or Cleveland-Port, hamlets in the parish of Ormesby, union of Guisborough in Yorkshire, both in the generally in the Cleveland Vale (hilly district), of Yorkshire. 1 2

Early Origins of the Cleaveland family

The surname Cleaveland was first found in Yorkshire where the first records of the family were found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1370: Johannes de Clyveland; and Robertus de Clyveland, 1379. 3

Early History of the Cleaveland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cleaveland research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1575, 1613, 1632, 1645, 1651, 1658 and 1717 are included under the topic Early Cleaveland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cleaveland Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Cleaveland include Cleveland, Cleaveland, Clyveland and others.

Early Notables of the Cleaveland family

Distinguished members of the family include

The Cleavelands were a family of whalers from the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States, from the seventeenth though the nineteenth centuries. They trace their name...

Cleaveland migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Cleaveland Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Cleaveland, who landed in Maryland in 1671 4
William Cleaveland, who landed in Maryland in 1674 4

Cleaveland Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel Cleaveland, who landed in Texas in 1835 4
G Cleaveland, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
S D Cleaveland, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
G B Cleaveland, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
J Cleaveland, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cleaveland migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cleaveland Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Josiah Cleaveland, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Samuel Cleaveland, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Contemporary Notables of the name Cleaveland (post 1700) +

Moses Cleaveland (1754-1806), American lawyer, politician, soldier, and surveyor who founded Cleveland, Ohio, while surveying the Western Reserve in 1796
Arthur B. Cleaveland, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
J. Cleaveland Cady (1837-1919), American New York-based architect, best known or his design for The American Museum of Natural History

The Cleaveland Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Semel et semper
Motto Translation: Once and always.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)