Cleaves Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Cleaves last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Cleaves last name
Meaning of the Cleaves last name: a dweller at the cliff or rock or steep descent. Smith's dictionary links the English surname Cleaves to a dweller at the cliff or rock or steep descent, or at the bank of a river. In the United States, England and Australia the Cleaves surname is still in use today.
Arms associated with the Cleaves name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full Cleaves family history
This is only a glimpse of the Cleaves story. The full Cleaves history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Cleaves coat of arms. Get the full Cleaves report.
Cleaves name FAQ
What does the Cleaves name mean?
A dweller at the cliff or rock or steep descent. Common variants include Cleve, Cleave.
Where does the Cleaves surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States and Australia.
Is there a Cleaves coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Cleaves coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.