Clem
A short form of the given name Clement, used as a surname and sometimes as a pet form of Clemence.
The #4,384 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 38,084 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Clem is a reduced form of the personal name Clement, ultimately from Latin Clemens, meaning "mild," "gentle," or "merciful." In English surname use, it could mark descent from someone called Clement or one of its short forms, especially Clem or Clim. Some historical references also show Clem being used for the female name Clemence, so the surname may in a few cases have a matronymic origin.
History
The surname appears in medieval and early modern English records as a shortened form of the baptismal name Clement. Nineteenth-century surname writers also noted related forms such as Clim, Clempson, Clemson, and Clemson, showing how a single given name generated a family of surnames. In some dialect areas, especially in older literary and parish contexts, Clem could be used as a familiar feminine name as well.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books connect Clem with the Robin Hood figure "Clim of the Clough," showing how nicknames and surnames could overlap in Middle English tradition.
From the historical record
“Clsm, Clemla.— Bapt. ' (he son of Clement,' from nick. Clem, popularly Ctemie. The old song of the ' Green-gown ' mentions ■Clem loan, .ndlKbel, Sbe, Ali^, and bonny Nell,'”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances