Clamp

Recorded in a variety of spelling including Clamp and Clampe, with the diminutives Clampet and Clampett, and the patronymics Clampin, and Clampon, this is a surname of English origins. It derives from the Middle English 15th century word 'clamp', believed to have a Dutch origin, and originally to describe a steel or iron band. Later it took on a more general meaning of a vice, and as such was probably a nickname for a person with a strong grip. As the surname developed patronymics and diminutives, it must have been a personal name at least for some nameholders, and therefore the 'nickname' explanation is probably the most comprehensive. Early examples of the surname recordings taken from the surviving rolls and registers of the post medieval period include examples such as: Elizabeth Clampe, who married Richard Jane at the church of St Mary Magdalene, city of London, on February 2nd 1756, Steven Clampett, who was christened at St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on April 18th 1657, during the 'reign' of Oliver Cromwell, and finally Mary Clampitt, who was also christened at St Dunstans thirty years later on DFebruary 7th 1685. Whether she was related to Steven Clampett is uncertain.