The Cleaver surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,509 people carried this name — #7,387 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 65,400 people counted. That is up 1% from 4,476 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Cleaver surname

Occupational surname for someone who split wood, from Middle English clevere (“one who cleaves”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Cleaver» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a name of office: ‘the cleaver’.

An early record he cites: Simon le Claver, Norfolk, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Cleaver and Claver.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 185 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

25 families named Cleaver, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 142 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 18
Connecticut 3
Maine 2
Massachusetts 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 234 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Cleaver in American newspapers,
1881–1915.

Newspaper page from The Glasgow Courier carrying the name Cleaver
The Glasgow Courier 1915-12-03
Newspaper page from The Lake Charles Echo carrying the name Cleaver
The Lake Charles Echo 1881-02-05
Newspaper page from St. Landry Clarion carrying the name Cleaver
St. Landry Clarion 1914-04-04

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,628 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Cleaver in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

16,204 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cleaver. The most, 3,806, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 5.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,725
Tasmania 5,214
Victoria 2,331
Western Australia 714
Queensland 464
ACT (Canberra) 434
South Australia 285
Northern Territory 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cleaver.

Who carried it

People named Cleaver,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Cleaver
    William Cleaver 1742–1815 · bishop
  • Euseby Cleaver
    Euseby Cleaver 1745–1819 · Anglican priest
  • Euseby Cleaver
    Euseby Cleaver 1746–1819 · Anglican priest
  • Robert Cleaver d. 1613 · Christian minister
  • Beryl Cleaver d. 1915
  • Jane Cleaver d. 1824

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Cleaver,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States470 records

470 records of the Cleaver name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 191
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 115
  • Other U.S. records 164
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edwin T. Cleaver

    Born 1906 in Missouri. Enlisted 1943 at Los Angeles, California; draftsman. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1977, buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Francis Craig Cleaver

    Born 1948; from New Castle, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, armor reconnaissance specialist; died in service 1967 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Edward Cleaver

    Arrived at New Orleans in 1851 aboard the Elen Maria from Liverpool, aged 33; laborer. From England; bound for New Orleans.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 470 records for Cleaver in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia644 records

644 records of the Cleaver name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 405
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 129
  • Other Australian records 110
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary Ann Cleaver

    Died 1930 in Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1931.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Alice Maud Cleaver

    Born 1880 in Brighton, Tasmania. Married 1919 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 39.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record George Cleaver

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Lady Harewood, arriving 1831; ticket of leave 1842.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 644 records for Cleaver in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada27 records

27 records of the Cleaver name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 9
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 6
  • Other Canadian records 12
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joseph Cleaver

    Died 1924 in New Waterford, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Theodore Joseph Cleaver

    Died 1956; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Frederick William Cleaver

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 27 records for Cleaver in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom27 records

27 records of the Cleaver name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 21
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Henry Asaph Cleaver

    Will proved in 1940; of St Asaph, St Asaph.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Cleaver

    Buried in 1831 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 24.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. G. Cleaver

    King's Royal Rifle Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 27 records for Cleaver in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands20 records

20 records of the Cleaver name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 13
  • Dutch population registers 6
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Percy Cleaver

    Born 1886 in 's-Gravenhage. Died 1947 in Hilversum, aged 61.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Joyce Angela Cleaver

    Married in 1927 in Hummelo en Keppel.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Llewelijn Cleaver

    Died 1937 in Voorburg, aged 80.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 20 records for Cleaver in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand15 records

15 records of the Cleaver name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 13
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Oscar William Cleaver

    Died 1968, aged 67; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Cleaver

    Died 1951; buried at Mercury Bay Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Cleaver

    Died 1912, aged 30; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Cleaver in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Cleaver name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Joan Cleaver

    Born 1932 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Cleaver.

When the index is not enough

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