Surname Clef - Meaning and Origin
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Clef: What does the surname Clef mean?
The surname Clef is derived from the medieval French word clef, meaning ‘key’, and is a reference to a key maker. It was a profession often referred to in the Middle Ages as locksmiths were relatively rare. It most likely originated as an occupational surname for a keymaker, later evolving to identify the family’s place of origin or a nickname for a person who was thought to resemble a key or was particularly dexterous with keys as a locksmith.
The Clef surname is most common in France, although variations of it appear in other countries including Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Germany. It is thought to be the French form of the name Chiffer, which was taken from an Old French word "ciples" microsoft.com, meaning 'key' or 'code'. It may also have originated as a topographical surname to refer to someone who lived near a lock.
The surname now has many variants including Cleff, Claff or Cliffe, as well as the diminutive form Cleffer. It is still quite a rare name in many countries, although more common in France and Belgium than other countries. Clef is a popular name in literature, frequently seen in crime and thriller writing, likely due to its hearkening back to its most likely origin – a locksmith or one who could create or break codes.
Order DNA origin analysisClef: Where does the name Clef come from?
The last name Clef is of French origin and is most commonly found in France and its former colonies. It is also relatively common in parts of Quebec, Canada, due to the region's close ties to France. Today, Clef is also found in the United States, predominantly in Louisiana, New England, and some parts of California.
The population of people with the surname Clef is not large, but its presence is significant enough to have occupied a spot in the Social Security Administration's listings since the late 1800s. According to the records of the SSA, Clef is the 27,244th most popular surname in the United States. This is significant, especially when compared to the 6.6 million surnames that are listed in the United States.
The exact origin of the surname Clef is unknown. It is believed to be derived from the French word clef, meaning key, which has been associated with the symbol that looks like a musical clef used in musical notation. This symbol appears in some designs of the Clef family crest that have been created in the past, as several families with the surname Clef in France share common ancestry.
The presence of the surname Clef is quite sparse in most English-speaking countries around the world. But as certain parts of the world become more interconnected, it is likely that the presence of this surname will continue to grow beyond France and its former colonies.
Variations of the surname Clef
The surname Clef is derived from the French word clé, meaning key. Variants of Clef include Cleff, Kleff, and Cliffe.
Spellings of this surname also appear as Clefes, Cleef, Cleefe, Cleffes, Cleafe, Cleaffes, Kliff, Kleefe, Kleeff, Kleefe, Klefe, Kleffe, and Cliff.
Other surnames of similar origin include Claver, Clavie, Clavy, Clavain, and Klavain. These surnames are derived from the French word clavain, derived from clef, meaning small key.
Some of these names can also be found with spelling variations. For example, Clavery or Clavere, Clivy, Klavey, Klavy, Klavain, Klivery, and Klivere may be seen.
The surname may have subtly changed its spelling and appearance throughout history as people moved through regional dialects and between countries. For example, a variant of Cliffe may be seen as Clyffe, Klyffe, Clyf, or Clyffe. This could be due to the influence of languages such as German, Dutch, or English, which all have the word ‘cliff’ in their vocabulary.
Overall, the surname Clef has a variety of different spellings, variants, and similar surnames derived from the same root.
Famous people with the name Clef
- Andrea Cleffer, Canadian Olympic swimmer
- Maurice Clef, French composer
- Junior Clef, French DJ
- Emmanuel Clef, Swiss-French harmonica player
- Grandpa Jones, American Country musician
- Faada Freddy, Senegalese singer
- Carlos Clef, Venezuelan music producer
- Kassem Mosse, German record producer
- Chunga Clef, British singer
- Garth Clef, New Zealand singer–songwriter