Surname Chlaß - Meaning and Origin
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Chlaß: What does the surname Chlaß mean?
The name Chlaß is of German origin. It is thought that the name derives from the Middle German word “Klock”, meaning ‘lock’, with a diminutive suffix added, which would then mean something like ‘little lock’. This suggests that the name could have first been a surname for somebody who made or sold locks or perhaps worked as a smith, since locksmiths were common in the Middle Ages.
In modern times, the name is associated with entertainment. Chlaß is the name of a popular German beer brand, created in Hanover in 1857. It is especially popular among music lovers, since it sponsors some of the largest and most successful music festivals in Germany.
The name Chlaß is also known as the surname of a few well-known Germans, including Franz Chlaß (a classical philologist), Christian Chlaß (a German geographer and politician from the 18th century), and Mathilda Chlaß (a 19th century German pianist).
From Germany, many people with the surname Chlaß have migrated to the United States, where the name is quite common. It is not known if these two branches of the Chlaß family are related, but considering the common origin of the name it is likely.
Overall, the surname Chlaß is associated with both German culture and German-American culture. It is an example of a name that has become popular with both music lovers and everyday German citizens.
Order DNA origin analysisChlaß: Where does the name Chlaß come from?
The last name Chlaß is mostly found today in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other German-speaking European countries. It is an uncommon, but not rare, surname.
It is also found in parts of the United States due to immigration from those European countries in the 19th and 20th centuries. There are records of the Chlaß surname in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and other states.
In Germany, Chlaß is a variant of the more common surname Klass. It may also originate from the middle High German verb "klesen" ("to choose") or a variation of a name that is associated with the name Klaus.
The Chlaß surname is first found in Bavaria. In the U.S., among the earliest records of the surname is that of Heinrich Chlaß who arrived in Philadelphia in 1866. The most recent records show people with the surname mostly living in the eastern United States, but there are reports of people with that surname living across the continental United States.
As of the most recent study done by the Institute for the German Language in 2018, Chlaß is the 28,557th most commonly used surname in Germany. This also places it among the top 10,000 most common surnames in the German-speaking world.
Variations of the surname Chlaß
The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Chlaß are quite varied and depend largely on the language they belong to. For example, if we consider German language surnames, some of the alternate spellings and variants of Chlaß include Clas, Klas, Klass, Claß, Claes, Claess, Claesz, Claeus, and Klasz.
In Dutch, the surname is often spelled as Claas or anything else with a double s and/or double z, such as Claasse, Klas, Klasse, Claasz, and Klasz.
In Swedish, the surname is usually spelled as Claes, Claesse, Claeson, Claesson, Klass, Klasse, Klasson, and Klasson. The surname is also commonly found in Northern Germanic countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Finland, where the type of spelling usually follows Swedish conventions.
In French, the surname is usually spelled as Clausse or alternatively as Clausson, Claesson, Klausson, Klasson, or Klassen.
In English, the surname is often spelled as Glass, Glasse, Glaus, Glause, Class, and Classe.
Regardless of the spelling or language, all of these surnames are likely derived from the given name Nicholas, derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people".
Famous people with the name Chlaß
- Marcel Chlás: German pornographic actor
- Richard Chlaß: German actor and theater director
- Harry Chlaß: German actor, director and screenwriter
- Catherine Chlás: French actress
- Reinhold Chlás: German actor
- Käthe Chlas: German actress
- Sarah Chlas: Italian actress
- Patrick Chlás: German actor
- Robert Chlás: Polish actor
- Kit Chlas: British actor and screenwriter
- Michael Chlaß: German actor
- Alianne Chlás: German actress
- Constantin Chlás: Romanian actor
- Friedrich Chlás: German television host
- Matthias Chlás: German actor and director
- Jan Chlás: Czech actor