Clarence
Masculine · “from a Suffolk town”
Clarence is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 303,564 boys against 1,859 girls since 1880. See Clarence as a girl 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 1930, making them about 95 years old. About 87,500 people named Clarence are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Clarence most popular?
Clarence peaked in 1885, reaching #17 nationally. Today it ranks #1499, 1,482 places below that high. See the whole 1885 chart.
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 boys named
- 19217,332 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #17reached in 1885
- Change vs 2022
- −14.6%117 in 2025, from 137
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.
Clarence in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: Florida, Texas, California.
Clarences among us
people named Clarence are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 14,599 born in 2025 was named Clarence
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Clarence has held the top-100 across 7 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Clarence is headed
Clarence should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Clarence beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Clarence in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
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
Masculine · #1499 in the U.S.
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 87,500 people named Clarence are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Clarence in 2025?
- Clarence ranks #1499 among US boy names in 2025, with 117 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Clarence?
- About 1 in every 14,599 US boys born in 2025 was named Clarence — 117 in all.
- Will my child share the name Clarence with classmates?
- Clarence will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Clarence
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Zeppelin#1499 · Carver#1499 · Lazaro#1499 · Hakeem#1499 · Merritt#1499 · Kyzer#1499 · Decker#1499 · Randall#1499
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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