Contents [hide]

Cleaver History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Cleaver History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England

Early Origins of the Cleaver family

The surname Cleaver was first found in Holland, where the name became noted for its many branches in the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes of the region. The name was first recorded in North Holland, a province of the Netherlands. The principal cities are Amsterdam, Haarlem and Hilversum. It was the seat of the old Counts of Holland. Seat of one of the oldest families is Brederode Castle near Haarlem. There are many old and quaint towns in the province. including Medemblik, Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Edam, and Monnikendam. In their later history the surname became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew into this most influential family.

Early History of the Cleaver family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cleaver research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cleaver History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cleaver Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Claver, Clavver, Claverr, Clavers, Clavere, Chlaver, Clavar, Clevar, Clavier, Cleaver, Claever and many more.

Early Notables of the Cleaver family

More information is included under the topic Early Cleaver Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cleaver Ranking

In the United States, the name Cleaver is the 6,977^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Cleaver migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cleaver Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Phillipp Cleaver, who landed in Virginia in 1637 2
Tho Cleaver, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 2

Cleaver Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Cleaver, who arrived in America in 1744
Charles Cleaver, who settled in New England in 1744
James Cleaver, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 2
Edward Cleaver, who settled in America in 1759
Thomas Cleaver, who settled in Maryland in 1775

Cleaver migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cleaver Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Llewellyn Cleaver, English convict who was convicted in Devizes, Wiltshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 4th October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3

Cleaver migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cleaver Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Cleaver, aged 27, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1850
Mary Cleaver, aged 21, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1850
Ann Cleaver, aged 5 mths., who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1850
Ann Cleaver, aged 5 months, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1850
Charles Cleaver, aged 19, a painter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874

Cleaver migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Cleaver Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Henry Cleaver who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants

Contemporary Notables of the name Cleaver (post 1700) +

Thornton John "Skip" Cleaver Jr. (1944-2022), American politician, Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives (2016-2022)
Gerald Cleaver (b. 1963), American jazz drummer
Kathleen Neal Cleaver (b. 1945), American professor of law
Emanuel Cleaver II (b. 1944), United Methodist pastor and the U.S. Representative for Missouri
Harry Cleaver (b. 1944), American Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Texas
Naomi Cleaver (b. 1967), British design consultant and interior designer
Nicholas Cleaver, Australian freestyle skier who represented Australia in the Winter Olympics, in 1992 and 1994
Sir Anthony Brian Cleaver (b. 1938), British Chief Executive and Chairman of IBM UK
Leonard Harry Cleaver (1909-1993), British Conservative politician
Squadron Leader Gordon Neil Spencer "Mouse" Cleaver DFC RAF, British World War II Royal Air Force fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cleaver family +

RMS Titanic

Miss Alice Catherine Cleaver, aged 22, English First Class passenger from London, England who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 11 5

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-gray
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html