Contents [hide]

Clough History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Clough History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Clough

What does the name Clough mean?

The distinguished surname Clough is of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin. It is derived from the Old English "cloh," meaning "ravine" or "steep-sided valley," and was first used to refer to a "dweller in the hollow." 1

Early Origins of the Clough family

The surname Clough was first found in Denbighshire, where the most prominent branch of the family held a family seat from the 13th century. 2

"The Cloughs of Plas Clough [Denbighshire] claim a Norman origin, from the Seigneurs de Rohan, and appeal to their name and arms for proof." 3

By the 14th century the name was scattered throughout ancient Britain. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 listed Alicia del Clogh and Robert del Clogn in Lancashire. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Thomas del Clogh and Henricus de Cloghe. 4

Exploring this last entry for Yorkshire, "the Cloughs belonged to an old gentle family of Thorp Stapleton, a member of which was a justice of the peace in the reign of James I. [Crabley] Clough is a West Riding hamlet." 5

Early History of the Clough family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clough research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1270, 1570 and 1730 are included under the topic Early Clough History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clough Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Clough, Cluf, Cluffe, Cluff, Cloughe, Clow, De Clue and many more.

Early Notables of the Clough family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Richard Clough (d. 1570), Welsh "merchant and factor for Sir Thomas Gresham, came of a family which had been long seated in North Wales. His father, Richard Clough, was of sufficient consideration in...

Clough Ranking

In the United States, the name Clough is the 3,405^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 6

Clough migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Clough or a variant listed above:

Clough Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Humphrey Clough, who landed in Virginia in 1622 7
Humphrey Clough, who arrived in Virginia in 1623
Richard Clough, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630
Isaac Clough, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1642 7
John Clough, who landed in Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1642 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clough Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Clough, who landed in Virginia in 1704 7
John Clough, who immigrated to Virginia in 1775

Clough Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

T B Clough, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
A Clough, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
Henry A Clough, who arrived in Colorado in 1869 7

Clough migration to Australia +

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

Clough Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Clough, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Broxbournebury" in January 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
James Clough, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Mr. Robert Clough, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Samuel Clough, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. John Clough, Jr., (Norris), English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Clough 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:

Clough Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Clough, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th October 1863 12
Abraham Clough, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Collingwood" in 1875
Elizabeth Clough, aged 30, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Collingwood" in 1875
Frank Clough, aged 48, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 13
Eliza Clough, aged 42, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Clough (post 1700) +

Gerald Wayne Clough (b. 1941), American President Emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology, 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (2008-2017)
Sharyn Clough (b. 1965), American Professor of Philosophy at Oregon State University
Brenda W. Clough, American science fiction and fantasy writer
Edward H. Clough, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Manchester, New Hampshire, 1902-10 14
Dennis Clough, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 2008 14
David Marston Clough (1846-1924), American Republican politician, Member of Minnesota State Senate, 1887-91; Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, 1893-95; Governor of Minnesota, 1895-99 14
David M. Clough, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Canterbury, 1948 14
Darvin P. Clough, American Republican politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly from Walworth County, 1899-1900 14
Clarence A. Clough, American Republican politician, Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey, 1940 14
Charles I. Clough Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for Massachusetts, 1972 14
... (Another 38 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Clough family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Leonard Clough, British Ordnance Artificer 4th Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 15

USS Arizona

Mr. Edward Hay Clough, American Gunner's Mate First Class from Nebraska, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 16

The Clough 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: Sine macula
Motto Translation: Without spot.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/broxbournebury
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
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 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html