Clio
Feminine · “to celebrate”
Clio is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 856 girls against 25 boys since 1880.
Clio is the Muse of history, and her name means to make famous: the Greek kleos is glory, the fame that outlives a person, and a Muse called Clio is the one who confers it. She is usually shown with a scroll, which is the most practical of the Muses' emblems.
How old is the name Clio?
Clio first appears in US birth records in 1894 — 131 years ago. The typical Clio alive today was born around 2009, making them about 16 years old. About 700 people named Clio are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Clio most popular?
Clio peaked in 1906, reaching #1416 nationally. Today it ranks #5099, 3,683 places below that high. See the whole 1906 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Kleio to Clio
The story of Clio
The nine Muses divide the arts between them, and Clio takes history, which the Greeks counted among the arts rather than the sciences. Her name says what history was for: keeping a name alive. The name has been used in Greece, France and Britain since the Renaissance, quietly, and it appears in American records around the turn of the twentieth century among families using classical names. It is also, more recently, an advertising award and a small French car.
Meaning
to celebrate; to make famous
Greek kleio, to celebrate or make famous, from kleos, glory or renown. The same kleos closes Herakles, Pericles and Sophocles, all of which claim fame of one kind or another.
How the name formed
- Kleio
- Clio
Related forms: Κλειώ · Clio · Clio
Pronouncing Clio
KLEE-oh
Two syllables, stress in front. Greek says klee-OH with the weight at the end, and both are heard in English.
Nicknames for Clio
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
- 1894
- Most girls named
- 201537 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1416reached in 1906
- Change vs 2024
- +25.0%25 in 2025, from 20
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.
Clio in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Κλειώ in Greek — transliteration
- Clio in French — same name
- Clio in Italian — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Clios among us
people named Clio are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 64,291 born in 2025 was named Clio
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
Clio sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Clio is headed
Clio should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium 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.
Clio beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Clio in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is documented and unusually appropriate: the Muse of history is the one who remembers.
- Four letters and two syllables make it fast to write and easy to say.
- It is genuinely rare while being entirely familiar in sound.
- Cleo is the commoner spelling and will be written instead.
- It is also a car model and an advertising award, which will be mentioned.
- Two stress patterns circulate and the spelling settles neither.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Clio
Feminine · #5099 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Clios 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 Clio are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Clio in 2025?
- Clio ranks #5099 among US girl names in 2025, with 25 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Clio?
- About 1 in every 64,291 US girls born in 2025 was named Clio — 25 in all.
- Will my child share the name Clio with classmates?
- Clio will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Clio
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Janette#5099 · Loraine#5099 · Delfina#5099 · Hali#5099 · Mecca#5099 · Zoi#5099 · Afia#5099 · Emelie#5099
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Clio? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Clio and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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