The Cleve Family Name

Before spelling settled in the modern era, so Cleaves could easily become Cleve. Surname dictionaries give the meaning as “A dweller at the cliff or rock or steep descent”.

• Records show Cleve as one of the forms Cleaves took over time.
• About 295 people in the United States were recorded as Cleve in 2010, placing it 66,931 on the national list. 111 people born in France between 1891 and 2000 carried the Cleve name at birth.

Cleve coat of arms

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Cleaves surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon. Want more than a summary? See the Cleve family name pack.