Clarence
Feminine · “from a Suffolk town”
Clarence is given to boys far more often — 303,564 boys against 1,859 girls since 1880. See Clarence as a boy name
A duke of this title was executed by drowning in a barrel of sweet wine, and the detail is not a legend — it appears in contemporary accounts, more than one of them, and the man was the king's own brother. Whether he chose the method himself, as some versions have it, is where the reporting stops being reliable.
How old is the name Clarence?
Clarence was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Clarence alive today was born around 1932, making them about 93 years old. About 700 people named Clarence are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Clarence most popular?
Clarence peaked in 1880, reaching #679 nationally. See the whole 1880 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Clare to Clarence
The story of Clarence
The title has a reputation for ending badly that is hard to explain away. Its first holder died young and childless. Its most famous holder was drowned in the Tower. A nineteenth-century heir to the throne who carried it died of influenza at twenty-eight, weeks after his engagement, having been the subject of an unusual quantity of unpleasant rumor. Others in between fared no better. It has been recreated repeatedly and the pattern has held often enough that people who follow such things treat it as one of the unlucky titles, alongside a small handful of others.
Meaning
from a Suffolk town, by way of a dukedom
The title was created for a royal duke and named after a family holding in East Anglia. Its use as a first name is a nineteenth-century development and comes from the title rather than directly from the place.
How the name formed
- Clare
- Clarence
Pronouncing Clarence
KLARR-uns
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The spelling gives no trouble and the name is never mispronounced.
Nicknames for Clarence
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 192848 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #679reached in 1880
- Change vs 1988
- −44.4%5 in 1992, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Clarences among us
people named Clarence are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Clarence sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It has held a continuous place in American use since records began.
- The spelling and the sound agree completely.
- It carries a specific and identifiable history rather than a vague one.
- Its peak was very early and the name carries that age plainly.
- There is no obvious short form, so the full name does all the work.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
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What they receive
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Clarence
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Clarences are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Clarence are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Clarence in 2025?
- Clarence is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Clarence with classmates?
- Clarence will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More C names
The most-given names starting with C, all years combined.
Carol#2239 · Cynthia#1013 · Catherine#313 · Christine#1272 · Carolyn#1222 · Christina#770 · Charlotte#2 · Cheryl#4352
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Clarence? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Clarence and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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