Clements History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England-Alt
England
France
Ireland

Etymology of Clements

What does the name Clements mean?

The name Clements has a rich and ancient history. It is thought to date from Anglo-Saxon times in Britain as a personal name, becoming a patronymic surname meaning "the son of Clement." The name is of Latin origin, meaning "mild or merciful." It gained popularity in Medieval Europe when it was borne by an early saint who was a disciple of St. Paul, and later when the name was used by several early popes. Historically the surname was used by the Saxons as they converted to Christianity.

Early Origins of the Clements family

The surname Clements was first found in Oxfordshire, where the Clements family held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Clements family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clements research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1233, 1273, 1379, 1489, 1685, 1742 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Clements History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clements Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Clements, Clement, Clemens, Climer and others.

Early Notables of the Clements family

Distinguished members of the family include

Bishop Clements of Dunblane

Clements World Ranking

In the United States, the name Clements is the 922^nd most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Clements is ranked the 591^st most popular surname with an estimated 6,583 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Clements is the 579^th popular surname with an estimated 1,230 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Clements as 397^th with 16,288 people. 4

Migration of the Clements family to Ireland

Some of the Clements family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clements migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clements Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Clements, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1611 5
Jeremiah Clements, who landed in Virginia in 1617 5
John Clements, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 5
William Clements, who landed in Virginia in 1622 5
Thomas Clements, aged 30, British settler who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Abraham" 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clements Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ernst Clements, who landed in New York in 1709-1710 5
Jane Clements, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 5
Elizabeth Clements, who arrived in Georgia in 1738 5
Harris Clements, who landed in America in 1765 5
John Michael Clements, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1773 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clements Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew Clements, who emigrated from Ireland to New York in 1803
David Clements, aged 22, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 5
Francis Clements, who was naturalized in North Carolina in 1806
Margaret Clements, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 5
James Clements, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clements migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clements Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Capt. Peter Clements U.E. born in New York, USA who settled in Fredericton, New Brunswick c. 1783 he was Captain in King's American Regiment 6

Clements Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Jamie Clements, aged 26, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Leslie Gault" in 1833
Mary Clements, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Leslie Gault" in 1833

Clements migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Clements Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Clements, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. William Clements, English convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. John Clements, (b. 1800), aged 19, English farm labourer who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he was executed in 1833 8
Mr. William Clements, British Convict who was convicted in Northhampton, Northamptonshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. James Clements, (Dowling), English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clements migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Clements Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Edwards G Clements, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Spray of the Ocean" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st September 1859 11
Fanny Clements, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ambrosine" in 1860 12
Fanny Clements, aged 28, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ambrosine" in 1860 12
Jane Clements, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1864
Robert Clements, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Asterope" in 1865
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clements migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Clements Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Ezechell Clements, (b. 1614), aged 20, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 5
Elizabeth Clements, who settled in Barbados in 1681

Contemporary Notables of the name Clements (post 1700) +

Christine Clements (1979-2023), professionally known as Vaccine, an American dubstep record producer based in California
George Harold Clements (1932-2019), American Roman Catholic priest who in 1981 became the first Catholic priest in the Chicago area to adopt a child
Rita Crocker Clements (1931-2018), American Republican Party organizer, First Lady of the U.S. state of Texas (1987-1991)
Frederick Edward Clements (1874-1945), American plant ecologist
Andrew Clements (b. 1949), award-winning American author of children's books
William Perry "Bill" Clements (1917-2011), American Governor of Texas from 1979 to 1983 and 1987 to 1991
Vassar Clements (b. 1937), prominent American fiddler
Earle C Clements (1896-1985), American senator
James Franklin "Jim" Clements (1927-2005), American ornithologist and author
Donald C. Clements, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
... (Another 59 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Clements family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Robert H. Clements (d. 1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Port Hope, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 14

HMS Dorsetshire

John Clements, British aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 15

HMS Hood

Mr. Thomas W Clements (b. 1921), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 16

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Thomas Charles Clements, British Ordnance Artificer 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 17
Mr. Samuel Clements, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 17

HMS Royal Oak

Frederick S. Clements, British Leading Cook with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 18
Ernest Frank James Clements (d. 1939), British Marine with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 18

North Sea Flood

James Clements, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" who survived the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

USS Indianapolis

Harold Preston Clements (1927-1945), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 19

The Clements Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Patriis virtutibus
Motto Translation: By hereditary virtues.

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew