Klee (surname)

Klee
Stolperstein of Helene Klee
Pronunciationˈkleː or as in "clay"[1]
Language(s)German, Yiddish, French
Origin
Language(s)German, Hebrew
Region of originAlsace, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany
Other names
Alternative spellingKlée
Variant form(s)Kleeblatt, Kleegman, Kleeberg, Kleefeld, Kleeman, Kleemann, Kleiman

Klee (Yiddish: קליי) is a German and Ashkenazi Jewish surname. Variations include Kleefeld, Kleeblatt, Kleegman, Kleiman, Kleeman and Kleeberg. In German, it means "clover" and is possibly a toponymic surname like Feldman.[2][3][4]

According to researchers at ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, the name Klee originates from the Greek Kalonymos (Hebrew: קלונימוס), a translation of the Hebrew "shem tov" (שם טוב‎) meaning "good name". Klee is documented as a Jewish surname in Alsace in France since the 18th century, along with similar names such as Kleemann.[5]

In France, the name is associated with the Alsatian commune of Katzenthal, near Colmar.

  1. ^ McConkey, Wilfred J. (1987). Klee as in Clay. UPA. ISBN 9781461702276.
  2. ^ Weiss, Nelly (2002). The Origin of Jewish Family Names: Morphology and History. P. Lang. ISBN 0820456446.
  3. ^ Hank, Patrick (2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0195081374.
  4. ^ Heinrich Walter Guggenheimer, Eva H. Guggenheimer (1992). Jewish Family Names and Their Origins: An Etymological Dictionary. Ktav Publishing House. ISBN 0881252972.
  5. ^ "KLEE Origin of surname". ANU – Museum of the Jewish People. Retrieved 27 December 2021.