Find out how popular the last name Cleven is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cleven.
A variant spelling of the surname Clive, of uncertain meaning but possibly relating to a cliff or slope.
Cleven, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cleven surname is from the 2010 census data.
Cleven is the 51830th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Cleven surname appeared 401 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cleven.
We can also compare 2010 data for Cleven to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 51830 | 40761 | 23.91% |
| Count | 401 | 505 | -22.96% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.14 | 0.19 | -30.30% |
The surname Cleven is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, derived from the Old English word "clif," meaning a cliff or slope. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals who lived near or on a cliff or hillside.
The earliest known recorded instance of the surname Cleven dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. This historical record lists a person named William de Clyve, indicating a connection to a place called Clyve, likely a location with a distinctive cliff or slope.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are references to various places with names similar to Cleven, such as Clivene and Clive. These place names may have influenced the formation of the surname or provided a geographical origin for its bearers.
Notably, the surname Cleven has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One example is John Cleven (1501-1572), an English churchman who served as the Bishop of Bangor and later the Bishop of Chester during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent figure with the Cleven surname was Sir Robert Cleven (1570-1635), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shropshire and held the position of Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
In the 17th century, Richard Cleven (1629-1711) was an English clergyman and author known for his work on ecclesiastical history and theology.
Moving forward, Sir George Cleven (1742-1819) was a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became the Governor of Newfoundland.
Additionally, Thomas Cleven (1798-1869) was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings, including St. George's Hall in Liverpool.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Clive, Cleave, and Cleeve, may also be derived from the same Old English root and share a similar origin and meaning with the surname Cleven.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cleven.
The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cleven was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 95.01% | 381 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 2.24% | 9 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.50% | 6 |
| Hispanic Origin | (S)% | (S) |
Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.
Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cleven has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.01% | 96.24% | -1.29% |
| Black | 2.24% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | 1.19% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | 1.50% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | (S)% | 0.99% | (S)% |
The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.
The history and meaning of the name Cleven was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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