Klug
A German surname from a word meaning “wise” or “clever.”
The #5,737 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 51,108 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Klug comes from German klug, meaning “wise,” “clever,” or “smart.” The surname was most likely first used as a nickname for someone thought to be prudent, shrewd, or mentally sharp. Older scholarship also connects it with the old Germanic name element found in names like Chlodgar, but the surname itself is generally explained from the adjective rather than from a personal name.
History
The name is long established in German-speaking areas and appears in older surname collections as a common German family name. It was carried abroad by German emigrants, which is why it appears in 19th-century American records and among immigrant communities in the United States. Related forms and compounds such as Klughammer/ Klughammer also show up in regional surname material.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because klug is an everyday German adjective, the surname is one of those names whose meaning is still instantly recognizable to modern German speakers.
From the historical record
“fach auf die Kinder vererben. Dabei fiel der Artikel vor dem Zusätze fort; 2 doch blieb trotzdem sehr oft die gebogene Form des Eigenschafts- wortes stehen : Kluge neben Klug, Weifse neben Weifs, Grote (Große) neben Oroth (Groß), und in manchen Fällen ist es sogar die herrschende Form geblieben, wenigstens in…”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen