Cleaver Family History
14-Day Free Trial
GET STARTED
Cleaver Name Meaning
English: from Middle English clevere ‘one who cleaves’ (a derivative of Old English cleofan ‘to split’), hence an occupational name for someone who split wood into planks using a wedge rather than a saw, or possibly for a butcher. English: topographic name from Middle English cleve ‘bank’, ‘slope’ (from the dative of Old English clif) + the suffix -er, denoting an inhabitant. Americanized spelling of German Kliewer or Klüver (see Kluver).
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Similar surnames: Weaver, Leader, Lever, Creamer, Beaver, Laver, Cleve, Klever, Cleaves