An English surname, Cleveland comes from the Old English terms ‘clif’ and ‘land’ for the phrase ‘cliff land’ which meant a hilly terrain or landscape. The spelling variations for Cleveland include Cleaveland, Clevland and Clyveland. In England the surname originated in Yorkshire in the area of Middlesbrough. From there over the centuries the Cleveland surname was most populated in Lancashire, Suffolk, Kent, Sussex, Middlesex, Gloucestershire and the city of London. Within the United States the Cleveland surname originated in New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland and Rhode Island. Famous: Grover Cleveland (two non-consecutive terms as U. S. President), James Cleveland (music composer), Carol Cleveland (comic in England), Benjamin Cleveland (Colonel in the N. C. Militia during the America Revolutionary War), John Cleveland (17th century poet from England), Dick Cleveland (champion swimmer) and Moses Cleveland (original name Moses Cleaveland - founder of Cleveland, Ohio in 1796).