Cleola
Feminine · “Glory”
Cleola puts an American ending on a Greek element and neither half knows the other. The front is the word for glory that stands at the start of Cleopatra; the back is a piece of naming material that came loose from Viola and Lola and went into general circulation in the nineteenth century.
How old is the name Cleola?
Cleola first appears in US birth records in 1896 — 129 years ago. The typical Cleola alive today was born around 1926, making them about 99 years old. About 300 people named Cleola are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Cleola most popular?
Cleola peaked in 1909, reaching #990 nationally. See the whole 1909 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From kleos to Cleola
The story of Cleola
The most famous name built on that element belonged to a woman who was the first of her family to bother learning the language of the country she ruled. The Ptolemies had held Egypt for nearly three hundred years and had governed it in Greek throughout, keeping their court, their coins and their administration in a language most of their subjects did not speak; Cleopatra was reportedly fluent in Egyptian and in several others besides, and made a point of it. Ancient writers found it remarkable enough to record. Whether it was policy or interest is not knowable, but a ruler who can talk to the people being ruled has an advantage that three centuries of her ancestors had chosen to do without.
Meaningscholars disagree
Glory, with an added ending
Only the front can be traced. Greek kleos is the fame that outlives a person, and it stands at the head of a whole family of Greek names. The ending has no meaning in any language and was chosen for its sound. Half a name with a genuine element and half with none is the ordinary condition of a build of this period.
How the name formed
- kleos
- Cleo
- Cleola
Pronouncing Cleola
klee-OH-luh
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. The final vowel is reduced to nothing, and the o carries the weight, which is what the ending was borrowed to do.
Nicknames for Cleola
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
- 1896
- Most girls named
- 192548 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #990reached in 1909
- Change vs 1966
- +20.0%6 in 1976, from 5
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.
Cleolas among us
people named Cleola 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
Cleola 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
- Cleo is a strong, current, unisex short form waiting inside it.
- The front half has a real Greek meaning that can be checked.
- The rhythm is easy and every sound is available to an English speaker.
- The ending places the name firmly in the turn of the last century in American ears.
- It will be heard as Viola and Creola, both of which are in the same records.
- Only half the name can be explained to a child who asks.
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Cleola
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Cleolas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Cleola are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Cleola in 2025?
- Cleola is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Cleola with classmates?
- Cleola 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 Cleola? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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