Is my last name German, Irish, or...?

My last name is Cline. Not Klein or Kline. I'm not sure if it was "americanized" during immigration. I've been told my family is German. But I also read that Cline can also be from irish heritage as well. Help me! :)

Is my last name German, Irish, or...?
Americanized spelling of German Klein or a Jewish (Ashkenazic) variant of this name.


Variant spelling of Scottish or Irish Clyne.


There are Clines from Germany and Ireland in the census.





If you want to know where your particular Clines came from, you will have to do the research.
Reply:You have to remember that a lot of immigrants to the US in the 1800s were illiterate the the immgiration officials often spelled the person's name as they heard it. They could have been German Kleins, but the immigration official spelled it with a C. Or they could have been trying to get a more "American" surname.





A friend's family is Czech and were given the name Daly at immigration because the official had to idea how to spell their surname, and just put Daly down because it was closest to the pronunciation. They don't know how the original Czech name was spelled because her great grandfather couldn't write.
Reply:Best way to find out is to go here, it is the Latter Day Saints International Database of church records.





http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/f...





Search for a common name like John Cline or Kline in Region - British Isles and Country Ireland and then have a go in Germany.





Cline is an Irish surname very rarely spelt Kline





Klein is German surname only spelt this way
Reply:Check census and immigration records. It can give you a point of origin with which to work as birthplaces of people and their parents (especially in the census) were often recorded. Then you may be able to track back further still. Also check the roots of the surname in question. Good luck to you!
Reply:Sorry, I didn't give you all of the website address - Go to http://search.freefind.com and you can get info on your name's origin and how the different variations came about. You'll also be able to check out your "Crest" - what families had to use to prove they belonged to the family. Good luck.
Reply:Not German. Unless it was American-ized.
Reply:Misspelled it can be German (Klein which means small), otherwise Irish where this surname exists.