Clement
A surname from the old personal name Clement, meaning “mild” or “merciful.”
The #1,505 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,956 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Clement comes from the medieval personal name Clement, ultimately from Latin clemens, meaning “gentle,” “mild,” or “merciful.” In English and French use, it became a popular given name through the fame of early saints and was then passed on as a hereditary surname. The surname is therefore usually a patronymic, meaning “son of Clement” or “descendant of Clement.”
History
Medieval records show Clement used widely as a baptismal name, and surname forms developed from it in England and neighboring parts of Europe. Related spellings such as Clements, Clementson, and Clemence all point back to the same personal name. The name remained common enough in Britain that it survived in many local and family variants, though the given name itself became less frequent in later centuries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley notes that Clement was once a very popular forename, even though it is relatively rare as a first name today.
From the historical record
“CLEMENCE. See Clement. CLEMENT. The personal name, whence the modifications Clements, Clemeuce, Clementson, Cleniitson, Clemmaus, Clem- mit, Climpsou. CLEMENTS. CLEMENTSON. See Clement. CLEHnTSON. See Clement. CLEi^IMANS. See Clement.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom