Surname Van Cleeve - Meaning and Origin
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Van Cleeve: What does the surname Van Cleeve mean?
The surname Van Cleeve is of Dutch origin and is said to have come from a place name in the Netherlands. It is a topographical name, which means that it derived from geographical features or landmarks. Specifically, the name likely originated from the word “kleef,” meaning “clay” or “marshy grounds,” with “van” denoting “from” and “Cleef” being the demonym or a local name.
The first recorded instance of the Van Cleeve surname was in the 16th century with Antoine Vandercleef in Utrecht, Netherlands. Prior to this, the name was written as Van Kleef. The surname was also popular among Dutch settlers in the 17th century who moved to the United States, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic states such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Today, the surname Van Cleeve is still found among families in the United States. It is a common name among Dutch-American communities, and it is even still found in European countries such as the Netherlands. Many of these families have traced their ancestry back to the original Antoine Vandercleef in the 16th century.
In conclusion, the last name Van Cleeve is of Dutch origin and likely derives from a place name. It is quite popular among Dutch-American families, and is still found in Europe in countries such as the Netherlands. Overall, the surname is certainly intriguing as it reveals an interesting part of Dutch-American history.
Order DNA origin analysisVan Cleeve: Where does the name Van Cleeve come from?
The last name Van Cleeve is historically associated with several different parts of Europe, including German, Dutch, and Belgian descent. Today, the surname Van Cleeve appears to be most prevalent in France and northern Belgium. In 2019, the surname ranked 570th among the most common surnames in France.
In the United States, the surname Van Cleeve is much less common. According to records from the 2010 census, only 326 people across the country reported having the last name Van Cleeve. Many of the Van Cleeves currently living in America have Dutch and Belgian ancestry, but there are also some German and Irish families with the surname.
Van Cleeve is a striking ancestral name that symbolizes the movement of Europeans into and around the United States over the centuries. Today, although the number of people wearing the name is not huge, it still stands out as a unique patronymic that celebrates centuries of robust family history.
Variations of the surname Van Cleeve
Van Cleeve is a Dutch toponymic surname derived from places in the Netherlands called Kleef or Cleve. The original spelling of the name was Van Kleve and the variants include Van Cleef, Van Cleefs, Van Kleef and Van Cliff. It is possible that some individuals may have altered the spelling of their name to Van Cleeve for ease of pronunciation.
In addition, there are a few other surnames of Dutch origin which have a similar spelling to Van Cleeve. These include Van Cleave, Van Cleaw, Van Clees, Van Cleaave, Van Cleaves, Van Cleav, Van Cleeves, and Van Cleavey. It is possible that individuals with these surnames may be related to Van Cleeve families, but further research is required to confirm this.
In some cases, Van Cleeve families may have become Anglicized by changing their surname to one of the English-language equivalents, such as Clark, Cliff, Cleeve, Cleave, Cliffe, Clove and Klev. It is possible that some persons with these surnames are descendants of Van Cleeve families.
Another variation of the Van Cleeve surname is Van Kleef. Families with this surname may have adopted the spelling due to the pronunciation of the original surname being hard to understand in the English-speaking world. It is possible that some individuals with this surname may also be from Van Cleeve families.
Overall, Van Cleeve is a Dutch toponymic surname which has many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. It is worth researching any variations of this surname to find out whether they may be related to Van Cleeve families.
Famous people with the name Van Cleeve
- Caleb VanCleave: US actor.
- Ann-Marie VanCleave: British actress.
- Gery VanCleave: Dutch actor.
- Frank VanCleave: American music singer.
- Sharon VanCleave: US-British singer/songwriter.
- Leslie VanCleave: American makeup artist.
- Baron VanCleave: Canadian entrepreneur.
- Mark VanCleave: American business executive.
- Daniel VanCleave: English actor.
- Jacob VanCleave: American artist.
- Donovan VanCleave: US actor.
- Char Van Cleeve: German model/actress.
- Tom Van Cleeve: American singer.
- Elyse Van Cleeve: French fashion designer.
- Rajah VonCleave: UK artist.
- David Van Cleeve: Dutch politician.
- Jamie Van Cleeve: US screenwriter.
- Ellley Van Cleeve: UK TV host.
- Robert Van Cleeve: French composer.
- Taylor Van Cleeve: American model.