Surname Clingen - Meaning and Origin

Clingen: What does the surname Clingen mean?

The last name Clingen is a variation of the German or Dutch surname Clingenpeel. This name may either be derived from the Dutch word “klingen”, meaning “ring” or “to sound”, or from the Middle Dutch personal name Klin(t)ghen, composed of the Germanic elements “kleit” meaning “branch" and “gen” meaning “kinsman”.

The Clingen family has origins in the Netherlands and Germany. People with the Clingen name were concentrated in the Netherlands province of North Brabant and the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen near the Dutch-German border in the Middle Ages. Both locations are associated heavily with Roman Catholicism, leading some to believe that Clingen people were likely Catholic.

The surname Clingen has spread to many other parts of the world with the people who bear it. In the United States, the Clingen name can be found in many parts of the country, from the East Coast to the West.

As for the meaning of “Clingen”, some accounts offer that it usually indicates that the bearer was from a place with a landscape composed of hills, or like many surnames, it could simply denote someone as a local who came from a specific place.

Overall, the last name Clingen may have many different meanings to different people, but generally is associated with heritage stemming from Germany or the Netherlands and is often associated with a hill-like landscape.

Clingen: Where does the name Clingen come from?

The last name Clingen is most commonly found in Germany. It is a rare name with less than 500 occurrences in Germany, according to Census data. It is believed that the name originated in German-speaking countries during the Middle Ages.

The name appears to have been derived from the German phrase akin to "clinger" or "cling," which is an old German surname. This surname was likely related to the verb “klingen” which means “to sound” or "to resound," and represents people who were involved in some form of music. Alternatively, it may also have been descriptive of those who clung to branches or logs while crossing a body of water.

The spelling of the name has changed over the centuries. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the last name was spelled as "Klingen." It was then changed to the phonetically similar "Clingen" in the 18th century. This spelling is the most commonly used today.

Today, Clingen remains a mainly German surname, appearing mainly in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands. It is also found in the United States, where it was likely carried over by German immigrants. Small numbers of individuals with the surname also appear in Canada, South Africa, and Sweden.

Variations of the surname Clingen

The surname Clingen is derived from Old English words; the clinge at the end of the name referring to a valley or a slope. It is one of the oldest surnames in England and also one of the earliest to be used as a surname. Variations of Clingen include Clinch, Clechant, Cleggin, Clenand, Clerkeng, Clingan, Clenig and Clingo.

Clenand and Clingo are the most common variants of Clingen, as seen in the United States Census Bureau's records. Clechant and Cleggin are also commonly seen in the same records. Clinch, Clerkeng and Clenig are less frequently encountered surnames related to Clingen.

Many people of European descent have Clingen as part of their surname. While most of them are likely to have direct ancestry of the Clingen family, some may have adopted the surname at some point in their family history.

The surnames derived from Clingen are found in countries around the world, from North America and Australia, to the United Kingdom and many parts of Europe. As people have moved around and different spellings of the surname were adopted, the Clingen surname has become more spread out.

It is believed that all of the Clingen-related surnames are associated with a common ancestor, as evidenced by records dating back as far as the 15th century. It is also thought that variations of this surname were given to those who lived on different types of land, such as a valley or flat land. For example, someone living on a valley may have been given the surname Clingen, while someone living in a marshland may have been given the surname Clechant.

While the exact origin of the Clingen surname may be unknown, its different variations show its old-fashioned roots and heritage throughout many generations, and its ubiquity among people of different cultures.

Famous people with the name Clingen

• Ryan Clingen: Canadian soccer player in the Canadian Soccer League
• Chris Clingen:French jazz musician
• Joe Clingen: Former professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Patrick Clingen: German judoka and Olympic medalist
• Olivia Clingen: British actress
• Sarah Clingen: English singer-songwriter
• Sophie Clingen: Dutch professional tennis player
• Michel Clingen: Belgian television actor
• Aaron Clingen: Professional golfer in the PGA Tour
• Don Clingen: Retired ice hockey player and Canadian Sports Hall of Fame inductee

Other surnames

Clingan