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Where did the German Clauss family come from? What is the German Clauss family crest and coat of arms? When did the Clauss family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Clauss family history?The roots of the Clauss family are found in the ancient German state of Bavaria. Clauss is one of the most common styles of German surname, that of patronymics and matronymics - names derived from the given names of the father or mother of their original bearers. Clauss is derived from the medieval given name Klaus, which is a shortened form of the personal name Niklaus or Nicholas.The given name Nicholas, which means people's victory, was popular among Christians throughout Europe in the Middle Ages.
In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Clauss include Klaus, Klauss, Claus, Clauss, Klauhs, Clauhs, Klausing (Westphalia), Klauser (Switzerland), Clausing, Clauser, Klausen, Klaussen, Clausen and many more.
First found in Bavaria, where the family contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation and would later play a large role in the political conflicts of the area. The family branched into many houses, many of which acquired estates and manors throughout the surrounding regions, where they played significant roles in the social and political affairs.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clauss research. Another 247 words(18 lines of text) covering the year 1755 is included under the topic Early Clauss History in all our PDF Extended History products.
Another 31 words(2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clauss Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Clauss or a variant listed above:
Clauss Settlers in the United States in the 18th Century
Clauss Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century
The Clauss Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Clauss Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 27 October 2010 at 13:44.
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