Parent’s name

Clements surname meaning

An English, Irish, and Dutch patronymic variant of Clement, from Latin Clemens, “merciful,” with an excrescent or genitival -s.

Confidence: High
US frequency: Rank 933 · 36,649 people
Common variants: Clements, Clement, Clemens, Clemons

The short story

Clements is an English, Irish (especially Tyrone and Antrim), and Dutch surname, a variant of Clement with a genitival or later excrescent -s. Clement comes from the Latin personal name Clemens, “merciful,” popularized by early Christian saints and several popes. In North America the spelling has also absorbed cognates such as German Clementz and Slovenian Klemenc. Related English forms include Clemens, Clemons, and Clemence. Parent’s name is high confidence for the Clemens personal-name path that DAFN gives for both Clement and Clements; the added -s marks “son of Clement” or a fixed later spelling rather than a new meaning.

Also seen as: Clements, Clement, Clemens, Clemons

Sources used

Ancestry / DAFN entry for Clements (variant of Clement with -s)
Ancestry / DAFN entry for Clement (Latin Clemens ‘merciful’)
Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)