CLEMENTS
Clements is a surname of English origin that traces its roots to the Latin name Clemens, meaning "merciful" or "gentle". The name was adopted as a given name in the Roman world and entered the British Isles through the influence of Old French following the Norman Conquest of 1066.
After the Conquest, the Normans introduced the name Clement, a cognate of Latin Clemens, into England. The popularity of the personal name grew from the mid-twelfth century, partly inspired by the veneration of St. Clement, a disciple of St. Paul, and by the fact that several popes chose the name Clement to convey its symbolic values of mercy and benevolence.
Early documentary evidence indicates the use of the name in England from the 1150s and 1200s. In 1153 the records of St. Benet's Abbey in Norfolk contain the name Clemens; in 1212 the Curia Regis rolls for Essex record Clemens filius Clementis. By the 1270s the surname had begun to appear in official rolls, with the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk listing a William Clement in 1275 and a Richard Clemence appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1279.
The spelling of the surname has varied broadly over the medieval period, reflecting regional pronunciation and orthographic practices. Forms such as Clem, Clemas, Clemes, Clements, Clemon(t)s, Clemetts, Clem(m)ens, Clemence, Climance, Clemen(t)son, Clemerson, and Cornwallian variants like Clemo, Clemow, Climo, Clymo have all been recorded.
In the early seventeenth century a member of the family, Thomas Clements, emigrated from London on the ship Abraham in October 1635, bound for Virginia in the American Colonies. The early American branch of the family thus established itself outside the British Isles while maintaining the surname's traditional spelling.
The coat of arms granted to the family in Plymouth in 1620 bears the blazon: a silver field, two red bends wavy, and on a red chief, three gold estoiles. The crest described is a gold griffin standing on a green mount. These heraldic symbols further affirm the family's historical presence in England and its adopted values of nobility and vigilance.
The first recorded instance of the family name in historical rolls is Robertus Clemens, dated 1155 in the Knight Templars rolls of Oxfordshire, during the reign of King Henry I, who ruled from 1100 to 1135. This early mention demonstrates the long-standing link between the name Clements and the wider European cultural and religious milieu of the Middle Ages.
Typical given names associated with the Clements surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Julie
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Clemments
- Clement
- Clemence
- Clemens
- Clementson
- Clemenson
- Clemson
- Clemmans
- Cleament
- Clament
- Cleamant
- Cleman
- Clemance
- Clemans
- Clemant
- Clemants
- Clememts
- Clemen
- Clemena
- Clemenes
- Clemensen
- Clemente
- Clementi
- Clementina
- Clementine
- Clementis
- Clementon
- Clementt
- Clemets
- Clemmence
- Clemment
- Clemonts
- Klement
- Clemenshaw
- Clemetts
- Clemint
- Clemmens
- Clemmensen
- Clemmons
- Clemons
- Clemont
- Clenent
- Climent
- Clyment
- Klemenz
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Clements in...
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There are approximately 21,919 people named Clements in the UK. That makes it the 391st most common surname in Britain. Around 337 in a million people in Britain are named Clements.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Clements
- Pamela Ann Clements - Actress
- Charlie Clements - Actor
- Rod Clements - Musician
- Jonathan Clements - Author and scriptwriter
- John Clements - Actor (1910 to 1988)
- Chris Clements - Football player
- Bailey Clements - Football player
- Kenny Clements - Football player
- Dave Clements - Northern Irish football player
- Ernie Clements - Racing cyclist (1922 to 2006)
- Grace Clements - Heptathlete
- Andy Clements - Football player
- Simon Clements - Cricketer
- John Clements - Recipient of the George Cross (1953 to 1976)
- Stan Clements - Football player (1923 to 2018)
- David Clements - Figure skater
- Bertram Clements - Football player (1913 to 2000)
- Ralph Arthur Penrhyn Clements - (1855 to 1909)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.