Surname Kleimann - Meaning and Origin
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Kleimann: What does the surname Kleimann mean?
The last name Kleimann is German in origin, and it is thought to have derived from a given name. Various sources suggest possible associated meanings of the name including "brave people," "challenger," and "bold."
The Kleimann surname is associated with an ancient German nobility, known as Freiherren von Kleimann, that dates back to the 12th century. The name was originally used by a 6th-century noble family, and the surname itself likely originated in the area of Franconia and was used to distinguish different branches of the same family.
In more modern uses, the Kleimann surname is found across various different countries, including Germany, France, Switzerland, Denmark, and the United States. Among the name bearers living today, some forms of the surname have been anglicized to include variants such as Kliment, Klement, Clemmer, Clemens, and Klemens.
The surname Kleimann bears no special crest or symbol, although some families may have adopted their own. Despite the lack of an FBI-recognizable heraldic symbol, the Kleimann surname is memorable and stands as an important symbol of pride, history, and one's ancestral roots.
Order DNA origin analysisKleimann: Where does the name Kleimann come from?
The last name Kleimann is primarily most common in the country of Germany, though it is also found in other parts of Europe in slightly reduced numbers.
The Kleimann last name originates from the act of nicknaming. It was derived from a first name, most likely from the Old German name "Klajeman", which meant "little man". As it spread further over time, the variant spellings multiplied with it.
Today, Kleimann is a fairly common last name in various regions of Germany, particularly Saarland, Thuringia, and Saxony. There is also a significantly large presence in the German census in the city of Greiz in Thuringia. It also has a notable presence in the Netherlands, as well as Switzerland, Austria, and France.
Most people with the Kleimann name in Germany belong to the Lutheran Church. Many ancestors who bear the name have also lived in North America, including the United States and Canada, due to immigration.
The name is also found in countries as far as South Africa, because of the Dutch and German influence in the colonial era. In total, less than 0.5 percent of the population of the world possesses this last name.
Variations of the surname Kleimann
Kleimann is a German surname that is mainly derived from the Middle High German word kleimen, which means clay. Variants of the name include Kleymann, Kleeman, Kleimanns, Kleemeyer, Klemens, Klimann, Kliemann, Klimmans, Kleimane, Klienman, Kleinman, Kliman, Kliment, Kliaman, Kliemen, Klyman, and Cleimann.
The earliest known record linked to the Kleimann surname traces back to the 13th century when Albertus Cleimannus was present in the city of Köln in 1264. In the Middle Ages, the name was fairly common in this region, as indicated by its presence in church records.
The prefix 'Klei' also implies a certain kind of occupation, as it was a common name given to persons who specialized in working with clay. It is likely that the name then spread from this region to other parts of Germany and eventually around Europe.
The use of spelling variants of the name further increased in the more modern times, probably because of the improved literacy among the lower classes of European society at the time, allowing them to record their family names using various spellings. Consequently, the use of the name in Europe and North America has remained quite diverse.
Today, the Kleimann surname is mainly associated with Germany and other parts of European descendants. However, many of the spelling variants of the name have a much wider geographical distribution, with the name now found in many parts of the world.
Famous people with the name Kleimann
- Camryn Kleimann: actress
- Michael Kleimann: R&B singer
- Murdock Kleimann: Danish sculptor
- Ossian Kleimann: German art historian
- Richard Kleimann: German writer
- Robert Kleimann: German poet and translator
- Samantha Kleimann: beauty pageant contestant
- Tonio Kleimann: German model
- Wilhelm Kleimann: German actor