Clements
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Clement,” ultimately from the Latin personal name Clemens, “merciful” or “mild.”
The #908 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,115 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Clements is an English surname formed from the personal name Clement, with an added -s meaning “son of” or “belonging to.” The given name Clement comes from Latin Clemens, meaning “merciful,” “gentle,” or “mild.” In some medieval records, similar-looking forms such as Clemence or Clemens can overlap, so not every historical bearer reflects exactly the same route into the surname.
History
The name is well established in medieval and later English records, with many regional spellings and related forms such as Clementson, Clemens, and Clemmit. It is especially common in England and later spread widely through Britain and the English-speaking world. Surname dictionaries consistently treat Clements as a family-name derivative of the personal name Clement rather than as a place-name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root behind Clements also gave the long-running Christian given name Clement, borne by several early saints and popes.
From the historical record
“mit, Climpsou. CLEMENTS. CLEMENTSON. See Clement. CLEHnTSON. See Clement. CLEi^IMANS. See Clement. CLEMMIT. See Clement. CLENCH. A parish in Norfolk. CLENDON. Perhaps Clandon, co. Surrey.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom