Surname Kleßing - Meaning and Origin

Kleßing: What does the surname Kleßing mean?

Kleßing is a locational German surname derived from the place name Klessing in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Derived from the German word for ravine – Klessing, this is a toponymic surname which is given to people who originally hailed from the area. It is likely that the first bearer of the name settled there during the Middle Ages.

The name is widely distributed in southern and central Germany, and also in areas such as the former East Germany. The name is pronounced with a soft ‘s’ sound, typically transrited as 'Kleshing' or 'Klesing' since this is the South German pronunciation.

Kleßing is primarily a family name today but can also be a surname given by adoption. Through marriage, it can still be found in modern German society today.

The name Kleßing is a reminder of family heritage and Saxon-Anhalt roots. It is a testament to how many German families had to disperse across the country in search of new homes and job opportunities throughout the centuries. The bearer of the name can be proud of having such a closely associated and unique surname.

Kleßing: Where does the name Kleßing come from?

The surname Kleßing is a very common German name, especially in the northern part of the country. It is most prevalent in North Rhine-Westphalia, which is the most populous state of Germany with approximately 18.12 million inhabitants. The largest cities in this region are Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Essen, and Wuppertal.

Another area where the Kleßing surname is still common is the state of Lower Saxony, located in northern Germany. Lower Saxony is home to about 8 million people and its four largest cities are Wolfsburg, Hanover, Oldenburg, and Osnabrück.

The Kleßing lineage also has a presence in the two northernmost states of Germany, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The former is located on the Baltic Sea, while the latter is surrounded by Poland, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea. Schleswig-Holstein has approximately 2.9 million people, while Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has just under 1.7 million.

Furthermore, the Kleßing surname is also fairly common in Austria, concentrated mainly in Vienna and Styria, the two largest regions in the country. Additionally, there are a few Kleßing families scattered across small pockets of Western Europe, with perhaps the largest concentration of Kleßings living in the Netherlands.

Overall, the Kleßing surname is relatively common in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands, although it is not widespread outside of these countries.

Variations of the surname Kleßing

The surname Kleßing is a German surname derived from the place-name Kleßheim, which was a small town near Bad Aibling in Bavaria. It is a variant of Kleß, and is also spelled as Klessing, Klessing, Kleising, Klesing, Klesel, Kleesel, Kleise, Klaesel and Cleesen.

Kleßing variants are also found in some other German-speaking countries. Examples of these variants include Klassing in the Netherlands, Klessig in Austria and Kleszin in Switzerland. Other variants of the surname include Cleesen in Alsace, and Chaleesen, Kleezen and Klesen in Northern Germany.

In some cases, the spelling of the Kleßing surname has evolved into more modern phonetic versions. Examples of this include Kleisinger and Klesinger in Austria, Klesinghausen in the Netherlands, Klesing-Burgi in Switzerland, and Cliessing in Alsace.

Klessing can also be found in France, where it is spelled as Clessin and Cléssin. It is also commonly found in the United States under the spelling Clisham and Clishem. In the United States, the surname is more commonly spelled as Clisham or Clishem, due to the fact that the surnames were anglicised after the surname holders immigrated.

The meaning of the Kleßing surname is derived from the surname holders’ origin, and is thought to mean ‘person from Kleßheim’, or ‘dweller of Kleßheim’. It is believed that the early origin of the surname is from the Middle Ages, when people were known by the name of the place they lived.

Overall, the Kleßing surname is a German surname with a long history and many variations. There are many regional and spelling variations of the name, as well as alternate surnames with the same origin.

Famous people with the name Kleßing

• Fabian Klessing: German soccer player for Hannover 96
• Friedbert Klessing: German television producer
• Hans Klessing: German physicist, winner of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
• Sebastian Klessing: German actor known for his role in the TV series “Unter uns”
• Uwe Klessing: German filmmaker
• Sönke Klessing: German sculptor and potter
• Katharina Klessing: German journalist and alumni of Free University Berlin
• Reiner Klessing: German actor and publisher
• Anton Klessing: German actor
• Walter Klessing: German actor and professor at the Munich University of Television and Film
• Gert Klessing: German rower, bronze medalist in the 1976 Olympics
• Wilhelm Klessing: German mathematician, known for his contributions to the field of number theory

Other surnames

Kleßinger