KLINE
Kline is a surname of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word kline, which translates as “small” or “little.” Initially it functioned as a nickname to denote a person of slight stature or a diminutive personality, before becoming hereditary and passed down through generations, at which point the literal meaning often faded and the name stood alone as a family designation.
The name and its variants such as Kleine, Kleyn, and Klehn are found in both German and Dutch contexts, all stemming from the word Klein, meaning “small.” In certain instances the surname is Ashkenazic, linked to the Hebrew word kleyn, which carries the same sense of smallness, and appears in compound names like Kleinhandler (“a small trader”) and Kleinplatz (“a small place”).
In the British Isles, especially in England, the surname became established within the Christian community, with early records situated in London church registers from the early eighteenth century. Marriages such as that of Catharine Kleine and Godfrey Katchner on 14 July 1765 in St. Leonard’s, Shoreditch, the union of Anna Maria Klein and Peter Bour on 7 February 1785 in St. Marylebone Road, and that of Elizabeth Klein and Franz Ferdinand Ochs on 15 June 1853 in St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, illustrate its presence.
The earliest documented spelling of the family name in an English parish register appears in the christening of Augustus Kline on 9 November 1722 at St. Martin in the Fields, London, during the reign of King George I, the first of the Hanoverian monarchs.
Thus, the surname Kline reflects a history that moves from a Germanic nickname to a distinct hereditary name, with documented continuity in England and roots that may also stretch to Jewish (Ashkenazic) heritage.
Typical given names associated with the Kline surname
Male
- Adam
- Anthony
- David
- Dean
- John
- Justin
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Thomas
Female
- Adele
- Amanda
- Anna
- Arlene
- Beryl
- Carol
- Fenella
- Harriet
- Joanne
- Julie
- Laura
- Merlyn
- Sarah
- Winifred
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 Kline in...
Braille
⠅⠇⠊⠝⠑
Morse
-.-.-....-..
Semaphore
There are approximately 166 people named Kline in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around three in a million people in Britain are named Kline.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Kline
- Kevin Kline - American actor
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.