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Recorded in a number of spellings as shown below, this is an English surname, and one of the earliest ever recorded. Its true origin is Roman, deriving from the word 'clemens' meaning merciful. It was probably introduced into England by the at the famous , a date from which most modern history is counted. As a , there were few herediary surnames much before the year 1200, although this may be one of them, it was popular. This was because of the fame of St. Clement, a disciple of St. Paul. Later several popes selected the name for its symbolic values. Early examples of the name recordings include Clemens, a monk, in the records of St. Benets , Norfolk, in 1153, and Clemens Clementis, in the rolls for Essex in the year 1212. The first recording as a surname is shown below, and other early examples include John Clement in the of the landowners of the county of Norfolk in 1273, whilst Richard Clemence is listed in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshirein 1279. The spellings of the surname include Clem, Clemas, Clemes, Clement, Clements, Clemonts, Clemetts, Clemmens, Clemence, Climance, Clementson and Clemerson, whilst the versions include Clemo, Clemow, Climo, Clymo, and others.

List Ancestral records for:- Clemmens

Amongst the interesting recordings associated with the surname are Thomas Clements who was one of the early to the , leaving London on the ship "Abraham" in October 1635, bound for Virginia. The was granted in Plymouth in 1620, and has the of a , two bends wavy, and on a red , three estoiles. The is a gold griffin on a mount. The first recorded spelling of the surname in any forms may be that of Robertus Clemens. This was dated 1155, in the Templars () rolls of Oxfordshire, during the reign of King Henry 11nd of England, 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as . Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing of the original spelling.
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