KLEINE
Kleine is a surname of German and Dutch origin, derived from the Middle High German word klein, meaning small or little.
The name was originally employed as a nickname to denote a person of slight stature or one who resided in a small house or village. It could also have been used as an occupational identifier for small merchants or tradesmen who served a noble household.
Variations in spelling are common, reflecting regional orthographic practices. These include Kline, Kleyn, Kleinhans, Kleinehans, Klyne, Klyn, and others, all retaining the same root meaning.
In contemporary Germany, Kleine ranks among the top five hundred surnames. It is especially frequent in the Rhineland‑Palatinate region, where historical records show a long-standing presence.
Within the neighbouring Netherlands and Belgium the surname exists but is comparatively less common, reflecting a gradual decline in its use in those countries.
In the United Kingdom, London church registers from the early eighteenth century provide dated attestations of the name. For example, on 9 November 1722 a christening for Augustus Kline was recorded at St. Martin in the Fields, London, during the reign of King George the First. Marriages involving the surname appeared in the registries of St. Leonard’s, Shoreditch (14 July 1765) and St. Marylebone Road (7 February 1785), further evidencing its presence in England.
In the United States, the surname became established largely through immigrants from German and Dutch backgrounds. The name is most frequently encountered in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan, states that historically received large numbers of European settlers.
While the original designation was descriptive or occupational, modern usage of the surname carries no literal implication of size. Nonetheless, biographical accounts sometimes remark on the ambition and organisational aptitude of individuals bearing the name.
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Kleine in...
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There are approximately 60 people named Kleine in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around one in a million people in Britain are named Kleine.
