Surname Cloß - Meaning and Origin
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Cloß: What does the surname Cloß mean?
The last name Cloß is a German surname originating from the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "clos" which means "enclosure." Cloß was likely used as a nickname for someone who lived in or near an enclosed area and it eventually became a surname.
The Cloß surname can be found recorded in all areas of Germany and in some other European countries as well. It is not a particularly common name but it is still recognized as a German last name.
Cloß is an occupational surname, meaning it was given to a person based on their job or the job of their ancestor. In this case, a Cloß was likely a person who worked on a farm in or near an enclosed area. They could have been a field guard, or even a farmer who looked after the animals in his enclosed area.
It is also possible that the Cloß surname could have been first used by people who lived in a village or a hamlet. This would have been a similar situation to the farm, in that the people living in the village or hamlet would have lived in an enclosed area meaning the name Cloß would fit.
Cloß is an old German surname dating back to the Middle Ages. The original meaning was likely someone who lived in or near an enclosed area, as it was an occupational surname. It can still be found recorded in Germany and other parts of Europe today, although it is not particularly common. Whatever the origin, the Cloß surname holds a connection to the past and the colorful history of Germany.
Order DNA origin analysisCloß: Where does the name Cloß come from?
The last name Cloß is most commonly found in the German speaking countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Although the name is historically found in other German speaking countries there is no significant presence in them today.
The Cloß name originated with people of German-speaking heritage in the Middle Ages, and the spelling has developed over the years from variants such as Kloss and Kloes. In German, Cloß is pronounced as “Klohss” or “Kloß”.
The most likely geographical origin of the Cloß name is the northern provinces of Germany, and one interpretation is that the name may have derived from the word “kloß”, which means hill. Thus, the Cloß name may have been given to individuals who lived on a hill.
Today, Cloß is particularly common in the northern German states of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, indicating that the name likely originated from this area. Additionally, Cloß is particularly common in the towns of Stralsund, Greifswald and Anklam.
The Cloß name is less common elsewhere in Europe but over the past few centuries there have been waves of German migration and some families have traveled to neighboring countries, such as Denmark and the Netherlands, where the name is still found today.
The Cloß name can also be found in the United States, as many German-speaking Europeans immigrated there in the 19th and early 20th centuries, bringing their families’ names with them. Today, the Cloß name is common in the upper Midwest, particularly in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Variations of the surname Cloß
The surname Cloß is an alternative spelling of the more commonly seen German surname ‘Kloth’. Additionally, surnames originating from this spelling include the variants Klötzke, Klozke, Klotzke, and Klotz.
TheLastNameCloßis a shortened form of the surname Kloth. It originates from Low German and is derived from the Old German words “klod” or “klot” which mean “ lives in”. The prefixes Kloth and Klötzke refer to dwellings, suggesting a person who lived in and was associated with a particular place. During the 17th and 18th century many settlement names included ‘-kloß’ or ‘-kloßer’.
In some cases, such as in parts of East Prussia and north western Poland, since 1945, the spelling has also been rendered as Klosz or Kłosz.
The surname Cloß is also found in other languages in Northern Europe, such as Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. Each language has its own version of the name, with spellings such as Klos, Klose, Klöös, Klös, Kloss or Klosse.
In the Netherlands, the surname Cloß is also common, being stillspelled as Kloots or Kloosterman.
The surname Cloß is also found in the USA, Latin America, France and England where spelling variants have been observed. These include Clos, Closs, Closson, Closter, Cloßon, Closterman, Klooster and Kloster. In France, the variant spellings Clot, Closset and Clossey are also found.
The surname Cloß is a distinctly German name with many varieties and spellings throughout Europe and beyond. Its meanings vary from one language to the next, though they all refer to types of dwellings and settlements.
Famous people with the name Cloß
- Guido Cloß: German historian and scientist, called as the "father of the free church movement".
- Ruth Cloß: American actress who appeared in Titanic, An American Tail and The Mask of Zorro.
- Ernst Moritz Arndt Cloß: German geographer and cartographer.
- Bob Cloß: American movie director, who worked on films like The Elephant Man and The Dark Knight.
- Manuela Cloß: German film director, who wrote and directed the award-winning Die Wand.
- Johanna Cloß: German actress and singer, known for roles in movies such as Banditen and Dancer in the Dark.
- Ottokar Cloß: Austrian artist and sculptor, known for his works in ice sculpture and metalwork.
- Ülo Koobas: Estonian politician and diplomat, member of the European Parliament.
- Heinrich Cloß: German painter and draftsman who worked mainly in the Hermannsburg area in Lower Saxony.
- Karl-Friedrich Cloß: German engineer and entrepreneur, co-founder of the electronics company Siemens.