Explore the Family Name Cleveland
The meaning of Cleveland
1. English: habitational name from any of several places in Devon, Essex, or the North Yorkshire, formed from the genitive plural (clifa) of Old English clif ‘bank, slope’ + land ‘land’. 2. Americanized form (and a rare Norwegian variant) of Norwegian Kleveland or its variant Kleiveland, and also of Kleven or its variant Kleiven. History: Grover Cleveland (1837–1908), 22nd and 24th president of the US, was the fifth child of a country Presbyterian clergyman. His father, Richard Falley Cleveland, a graduate of Yale College and of the theological seminary at Princeton, was descended from Moses Cleaveland who arrived in MA in 1635.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Cleveland in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Cleveland has seen some fluctuation in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000 it ranked 1056th in the United States, but by 2010 it had dropped 71 places to 1127th. Despite the drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the surname Cleveland increased from 30,233 to 31,123, a rise of almost 3%. However, its proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 5.89%, indicating that while the absolute number of people named Cleveland grew, it did not keep pace with overall population growth.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,056 | #1,127 | -6.72% |
| Count | 30,233 | 31,123 | 2.94% |
| Proportion per 100k | 11.21 | 10.55 | -5.89% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cleveland
When examining the ethnic identities associated with the surname Cleveland based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, it appears that the largest group is White, comprising 66.41% in 2010, down slightly from 68.37% in 2000. The next largest group is Black, making up 25.78% of the individuals with the Cleveland surname in 2010, which is a slight increase from 25.20% in 2000. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and those of two or more races each made up less than 3% of the total, but each saw substantial percentage increases over the decade. The proportion of American Indian and Alaskan Natives with the Cleveland surname decreased slightly, from 2.89% to 2.85%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 68.37% | 66.41% | -2.87% |
| Black | 25.2% | 25.78% | 2.3% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.89% | 2.85% | -1.38% |
| Two or More Races | 1.66% | 2.31% | 39.16% |
| Hispanic | 1.44% | 2.07% | 43.75% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.44% | 0.58% | 31.82% |
Cleveland ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Cleveland is British & Irish, which comprises 51.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.0%) and Scandinavian (5.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Nigerian, Italian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.3% |
| French & German | 23.0% |
| Scandinavian | 5.7% |
| Other | 20.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Cleveland
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Cleveland have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.80% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.30% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 82.30% |
What Cleveland haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Cleveland is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L20 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Kelsey, Plummer, Armstrong, Usher, Overton, Chamberlain, Ryan, Gaines, Hewitt, Baer.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Cleveland surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Cleveland have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Cleveland" Surname 36.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Cleveland" Surname 25.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Cleveland" Surname 25.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Cleveland" Surname 18.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Cleveland?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Cleveland are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition