| ![Show Contents]() Cleever History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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England
Etymology of CleeverWhat does the name Cleever mean? The origins of the Cleever surname lie with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name Cleever began when someone in that family worked as a person who worked with wood. The surname is derived from the Old English word cleofan which means to cleave or split. 1 2 The variant Clevenger was derived from the occupation "as one who cleaves wood." Two sources postulate that the name could also have originated from "a dweller on a cleave or cliff." 3 1 Early Origins of the Cleever familyThe surname Cleever was first found in Norfolk where Simon le Claver, was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 4 Later, Agnes le Claver and John le Claver were both listed in Norfolk in 1333 5 In London, the source Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinesi lists Henry le Claver and John le Clavier. In Sussex, Richard and John le Cleuar were listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1332. 1 Early History of the Cleever familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cleever research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1332, 1379, 1742, 1746, 1784, 1785, 1787, 1790, 1800, 1806, 1815 and 1819 are included under the topic Early Cleever History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Cleever Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Cleever has appeared include Cleever, Cleaver, Clever, Kleever, Kleaver, Cleevar, Cleavar, Cliver, Cleiver, Clivar, Cleevor, Clearvor, Cleevare, Clevenger, Kleevare, Cleavare, Kleavare and many more. Early Notables of the Cleever familyWilliam Cleaver (1742-1815), Bishop of St. Asaph, the eldest son of the Rev. W. Cleaver, master of a private school at Twyford in Buckinghamshire, and was the elder brother of Archbishop Cleaver. Cleaver became tutor to the Marquis of Buckingham. He was successively made vicar of Northop in Flintshire, prebendary of Westminster (1784), master of Brasenose College (1785), bishop of Chester...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cleever Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Cleever familyAt this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Cleever arrived in North America very early: Henry Cleaver who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants; Thomas Cleaver settled in Maryland in 1775; Charles Cleaver settled in New England in 1744.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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)
- Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
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