Boy nameCurrently #1,558 in the USFalling
Clarence
KLAIR-unss//ˈklærəns//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19218 lettersStarts with C
Meaning & origin
Clear, bright, famous
Clarence comes from the Latin 'clarus', meaning clear or famous, and was originally an English royal title (Duke of Clarence) before becoming a personal name in the 19th century. Its once-common use has become distinctly vintage today.
Clarence's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Clarence |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 737 |
| 1881 | 668 |
| 1882 | 837 |
| 1883 | 837 |
| 1884 | 894 |
| 1885 | 906 |
| 1886 | 995 |
| 1887 | 897 |
| 1888 | 1,022 |
| 1889 | 984 |
| 1890 | 1,018 |
| 1891 | 1,007 |
| 1892 | 1,281 |
| 1893 | 1,175 |
| 1894 | 1,193 |
| 1895 | 1,340 |
| 1896 | 1,254 |
| 1897 | 1,201 |
| 1898 | 1,332 |
| 1899 | 1,148 |
| 1900 | 1,494 |
| 1901 | 1,208 |
| 1902 | 1,292 |
| 1903 | 1,267 |
| 1904 | 1,319 |
| 1905 | 1,385 |
| 1906 | 1,333 |
| 1907 | 1,400 |
| 1908 | 1,435 |
| 1909 | 1,518 |
| 1910 | 1,721 |
| 1911 | 1,790 |
| 1912 | 3,605 |
| 1913 | 4,068 |
| 1914 | 4,939 |
| 1915 | 6,293 |
| 1916 | 6,331 |
| 1917 | 6,623 |
| 1918 | 7,227 |
| 1919 | 6,871 |
| 1920 | 7,265 |
| 1921 | 7,367 |
| 1922 | 6,897 |
| 1923 | 6,836 |
| 1924 | 6,940 |
| 1925 | 6,713 |
| 1926 | 6,575 |
| 1927 | 6,498 |
| 1928 | 6,116 |
| 1929 | 5,772 |
| 1930 | 5,544 |
| 1931 | 5,107 |
| 1932 | 4,931 |
| 1933 | 4,307 |
| 1934 | 4,239 |
| 1935 | 4,098 |
| 1936 | 3,791 |
| 1937 | 3,777 |
| 1938 | 3,664 |
| 1939 | 3,501 |
| 1940 | 3,509 |
| 1941 | 3,694 |
| 1942 | 3,759 |
| 1943 | 3,872 |
| 1944 | 3,597 |
| 1945 | 3,219 |
| 1946 | 3,589 |
| 1947 | 3,938 |
| 1948 | 3,807 |
| 1949 | 3,418 |
| 1950 | 3,357 |
| 1951 | 3,256 |
| 1952 | 3,174 |
| 1953 | 3,095 |
| 1954 | 3,198 |
| 1955 | 3,033 |
| 1956 | 2,971 |
| 1957 | 2,641 |
| 1958 | 2,544 |
| 1959 | 2,398 |
| 1960 | 2,215 |
| 1961 | 2,201 |
| 1962 | 1,969 |
| 1963 | 1,975 |
| 1964 | 1,797 |
| 1965 | 1,816 |
| 1966 | 1,554 |
| 1967 | 1,389 |
| 1968 | 1,398 |
| 1969 | 1,350 |
| 1970 | 1,401 |
| 1971 | 1,387 |
| 1972 | 1,224 |
| 1973 | 1,111 |
| 1974 | 1,018 |
| 1975 | 919 |
| 1976 | 970 |
| 1977 | 897 |
| 1978 | 949 |
| 1979 | 916 |
| 1980 | 868 |
| 1981 | 846 |
| 1982 | 854 |
| 1983 | 803 |
| 1984 | 741 |
| 1985 | 685 |
| 1986 | 698 |
| 1987 | 644 |
| 1988 | 664 |
| 1989 | 635 |
| 1990 | 623 |
| 1991 | 592 |
| 1992 | 523 |
| 1993 | 499 |
| 1994 | 483 |
| 1995 | 425 |
| 1996 | 376 |
| 1997 | 362 |
| 1998 | 349 |
| 1999 | 317 |
| 2000 | 310 |
| 2001 | 302 |
| 2002 | 262 |
| 2003 | 260 |
| 2004 | 250 |
| 2005 | 297 |
| 2006 | 249 |
| 2007 | 251 |
| 2008 | 218 |
| 2009 | 192 |
| 2010 | 199 |
| 2011 | 191 |
| 2012 | 191 |
| 2013 | 176 |
| 2014 | 197 |
| 2015 | 184 |
| 2016 | 156 |
| 2017 | 158 |
| 2018 | 173 |
| 2019 | 169 |
| 2020 | 135 |
| 2021 | 129 |
| 2022 | 137 |
| 2023 | 112 |
| 2024 | 111 |
Clarence through the decades
- Clarence peaked in 1921, when 7,367 babies were named Clarence in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Clarence has fallen 32% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Clarence currently ranks #1,558 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Clarrie
Variants & spellings
Clarance