Klee (surname) explained

Klee
Pronunciation:ˈkleː or as in "clay"[1]
Region:Alsace, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany
Language:German, Yiddish, French
Language origin:German, Hebrew
Alternative Spelling:Klée
Variant Forms:Kleeblatt, Kleegman, Kleeberg, Kleefeld, Kleeman, Kleemann, Kleiman

Klee (Yiddish: קליי) is a German and Ashkenazi Jewish surname. Variations include Kleefeld, Kleeblatt, Kleegman, Kleiman, Kleeman and Kleeberg. In German, it means "clover" and is possibly a toponymic surname like Feldman.[2] [3] [4]

According to researchers at ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, the name Klee originates from the Greek Kalonymos (Hebrew: קלונימוס), a translation of the Hebrew "shem tov" meaning "good name". Klee is documented as a Jewish surname in Alsace in France since the 18th century, along with similar names such as Kleemann.[5]

In France, the name is associated with the Alsatian commune of Katzenthal, near Colmar.

People with the name Klee

People with the name Kleeblatt

People with the name Kleiman

People with the name Kleeman

People with the name Kleefeld

People with the name Kleeberg

People with the name Kleegman

Other sources

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: McConkey, Wilfred J. . Klee as in Clay . UPA . 1987 . 9781461702276 .
  2. Book: Weiss, Nelly . The Origin of Jewish Family Names: Morphology and History . P. Lang . 2002 . 0820456446 .
  3. Book: Hank, Patrick . Dictionary of American Family Names . Oxford University Press, USA . 2003 . 0195081374 .
  4. Book: Heinrich Walter Guggenheimer, Eva H. Guggenheimer . Jewish Family Names and Their Origins: An Etymological Dictionary . Ktav Publishing House . 1992 . 0881252972 .
  5. Web site: KLEE Origin of surname . ANU – Museum of the Jewish People . 27 December 2021.