Surname Clahsen - Meaning and Origin

Clahsen: What does the surname Clahsen mean?

The last name Clahsen is of German or Dutch origin. It is derived from the pre 7th-century words “klaus” and “sen”, and as such is thought to first have been used as a nickname for a person who lived near a church or was fathered by a man of the clergy. However, alternatively it could be a derived from the nickname "klausen" which means 'victor'.

The name Clahsen is most commonly found within the Low Countries, however some families bearing the name can also be found in Tennessee, the US, where they emigrated during the 1800s. In 2016, there were an estimated 4,000 Clahsens in the United States, with around 2,000 living in the state of Tennessee.

Clahsen is a popular German and Dutch surname. It's associated with those of a religious nature, as well as those who have led a victorious life. As a hereditary surname, it achieves a sense of value and pride of ancestry by being passed down through generations of Clahsen descendants.

Clahsen: Where does the name Clahsen come from?

The last name Clahsen is most commonly found in Germany today. According to the most recent population figures available, the surname is most frequently seen in the northern states of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, and Lower Saxony. Beyond Germany, Clahsen can be found in other countries in Northern and Western Europe, including Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK.

The name has been around a long time in Germany, with records mentioning the family name as far back as the 12th century. Over the centuries, people with the name Clahsen have had various role in German society. During the Middle Ages, it was a name associated with merchants, while in the 18th century, many members of the family joined the clergy.

Today, many of the people with this surname are farmers, with some found in more urban and industrial jobs. It is a fairly common name in Germany, with several thousand people living there thought to carry the name. Interestingly, the Clahsen name can also be found in some other parts of Europe, particularly in Scandinavian countries, where spelling variants such as Klausen can be found.

Variations of the surname Clahsen

The surname Clahsen is of Germanic origin. It is derived from either the Middle High German word Klaff, or the Middle High German word Klefe, both of which mean cliff. Variants of the same name include Claudius, Klaphuis, Cleef, and Klasen. All of these variations date to the nineteenth century.

The spelling Clahsen is rarely used, with Cleef and Klaphuis being more common in Holland and Germany. In the Netherlands, Klasse is also a variant, while Cleef and Klasse are the standard spellings in Germany.

Common surnames that are derivatives of the same name include Claudius, Claudsens, and Clausen. The surname Claudius is derived from the same root as Clahsen, while the surnames Claudsens and Clausen are derived from the Middle High German word Klas, which means 'cliff'.

In addition, there are variants of the same origin with slightly different spellings, such as Klause, Klauss, Klause, and Klasen. The surname Klause is derived from the Middle High German word Klofs, which means 'cliff slope'. The variants Klause and Klauss are found mainly in Germany and Austria.

In the United States, the surname Cleef is the most common variant. Variants of Cleef in the United States include Cliff, Cleaves, Cleaver, and Clieve. In addition, there is also the variant Klasen found in the United States. These variants are likely derived from the Middle High German word Klase, meaning 'cliff'.

Famous people with the name Clahsen

• Esther Clahsen: German former swimmer and European champion.
• Franz-Albert Clahsen: German entomologist and expert in systematics.
• Freddy Clahsen: German former footballer and defender.
• Heinz Clahsen: German linguist and faculty member at the University of Essex.
• Janina Clahsen: German artist and painter who works in the Expressionist style.
• Jürgen Clahsen: German psycholinguist and professor at the University of Potsdam.
• Patrick Clahsen: German former handball player and Olympian.
• Philipp Clahsen: German legal historian and professor at the University of Göttingen.
• Richard E. Clahsen: Dutch-born German biologist who works at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
• Roy Elmer Clahsen: American professor of German linguistics at the University of Delaware.

Other surnames

Clahses