Clementine
Feminine · “mild”
Clementine comes down from the Latin clemens, by way of the French Clémentine — the same root that gave the Church fourteen popes named Clement. It has never left the American record since record-keeping began, and it carries a nineteenth-century ballad and a small winter citrus along with it. Four syllables that end on a long, open sound, with Clem and Clemmie waiting inside it.
How old is the name Clementine?
Clementine was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Clementine alive today was born around 2008, making them about 17 years old. About 9,100 people named Clementine are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Clementine most popular?
Clementine peaked in 1882, reaching #360 nationally. Today it ranks #456, 96 places below that high. See the whole 1882 chart.
Where it comes from
From Clemens to Clementine
The story of Clementine
The root is the Latin adjective clemens, 'mild' or 'merciful', which gave the Roman name Clemens and then the Christian name Clement — used by popes from late antiquity onward. French added the feminine ending to make Clémentine, and from French it passed into English, German, Italian, Spanish and Polish, each with its own spelling. In English-speaking countries it was carried further by 'Oh My Darling, Clementine', the American ballad set in the gold-rush West and sung by generations of schoolchildren. The small seedless citrus is a separate thread: it was named for the French priest who cultivated it in Algeria in the early twentieth century.
Meaning
mild, merciful, gentle
From the Latin clemens; Clementine is the French feminine of Clement, the name borne by a long line of popes.
How the name formed
- Clemens
- Clement
- Clément
- Clémentine
- Clementine
Related forms: Clémentine · Clementina · Clementina · Klementine · Klementyna · Clementina
Pronouncing Clementine
KLEM-en-teen
Both KLEM-en-teen and KLEM-en-tine (rhyming with 'wine') are in real use; the ballad and the fruit both favor -teen in American English, so expect to state your preference once or twice.
Nicknames for Clementine
High
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
- 2025676 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #360reached in 1882
- Change vs 2022
- +23.6%676 in 2025, from 547
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.
Clementine in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Clémentine in French — same name
- Clementina in Italian — related form
- Clementina in Spanish — related form
- Klementine in German — spelling variant
- Klementyna in Polish — spelling variant
- Clementina in Portuguese — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Washington.
Clementines among us
people named Clementine are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 2,378 born in 2025 was named Clementine
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
Clementine is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Clementine is headed
Clementine 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.
Clementine beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Clementine in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A meaning that is not in dispute: mild, merciful, from Latin clemens.
- On the American record continuously since national statistics began — a genuinely old name rather than a recent coinage.
- Spelling almost nobody has to be taught, thanks to the fruit and the song.
- Ready-made short forms in long use: Clem, Clemmie, Tina.
- Recognizable across French, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese and Polish.
- The song is a comic lament in which Clementine drowns — 'dreadful sorry, Clementine'. Most people only remember the tune, but somebody will sing it at her.
- She will share her name with a supermarket fruit. That makes the spelling easy and the teasing predictable, roughly in equal measure.
- Four syllables asks something of forms, signatures and roll calls, though the short forms take over quickly in practice.
- Still uncommon enough that she is unlikely to meet another one at school — pleasant for some children, less so for those who would rather not explain a name.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Clementine to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Clementine? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Clementine
Feminine · #456 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Clementines are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 9,100 people named Clementine are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Clementine in 2025?
- Clementine ranks #456 among US girl names in 2025, with 676 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Clementine?
- About 1 in every 2,378 US girls born in 2025 was named Clementine — 676 in all.
- Will my child share the name Clementine with classmates?
- Clementine will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Clementine
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Wynter#456 · Elisa#458 · Kataleya#458 · Carter#454 · Madeleine#454 · Alyssa#453 · Alicia#460 · Reign#451
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Clementine? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Clementine and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Or jump into a head-to-head
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle