Cleophus
Masculine · “glory of the father”
Cleophus is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 2,023 boys against 19 girls since 1880.
This name and Cleopatra are built from the same two Greek words in the same order. Both join the word for glory to the word for a father, and both are shortened forms of longer compounds that meant something like glory of the father. One became an Egyptian queen and the other a disciple on a road.
How old is the name Cleophus?
Cleophus first appears in US birth records in 1904 — 121 years ago. The typical Cleophus alive today was born around 1948, making them about 77 years old. About 1,000 people named Cleophus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Cleophus most popular?
Cleophus peaked in 1945, reaching #1039 nationally. See the whole 1945 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Kleopatros to Cleophus
The story of Cleophus
The story he appears in is the only one of its kind. Two people walking away from Jerusalem on the afternoon of the third day are joined by a stranger who asks what they are discussing, listens to their account of everything that has happened, and then explains it back to them at length. They reach their village, press him to stay for supper, and recognize him at the moment he breaks the bread — at which point he is gone. It is the one resurrection account built entirely on not recognizing someone, and only one of the two walkers is named. This is his name.
Meaning
glory of the father
Greek, and the elements are unambiguous. The name is a shortened form of a longer compound, which is a normal Greek habit and explains why several apparently unrelated names turn out to share a root.
How the name formed
- Kleopatros
- Kleopas
- Cleophus
Related forms: Kleopas · Cleophas
Pronouncing Cleophus
KLEE-oh-fus
Three syllables with the stress at the front. The ph is a plain f, as it is in every English word that inherited it from Greek.
Nicknames for Cleophus
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
- 1904
- Most boys named
- 195742 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1039reached in 1945
- Change vs 2000
- +40.0%7 in 2007, 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.
Cleophus in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Kleopas in Greek — same name
- Cleophas in Latin — same name
Cleophuss among us
people named Cleophus 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
Cleophus 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 sits inside it as a short form that is entirely current.
- It carries a genuinely ancient Greek compound rather than a decorative one.
- It is distinctive without containing a single difficult sound.
- Cleophas is the older spelling and this will be corrected to it by anyone who knows.
- The spelling is recorded for a few girls, but nearly every child with it is a boy.
- The generation that used it is now elderly.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Cleophus 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 Cleophus? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Cleophus
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Cleophuss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,000 people named Cleophus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Cleophus in 2025?
- Cleophus is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Cleophus with classmates?
- Cleophus will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More C names
The most-given names starting with C, all years combined.
Charles#48 · Christopher#68 · Carl#1132 · Christian#96 · Caleb#58 · Cameron#76 · Carlos#150 · Clarence#1499
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Cleophus? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Cleophus 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.
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