Claiborn
A masculine name of possible Anglo-Saxon or Scottish Gaelic origin meaning "muddy stream".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Claiborn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Claiborn today is around 93 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Claiborn births was 1935 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Claiborn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Claiborn is about 93 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Claiborns were born before 1943.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Claiborn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1935
6 babies that year
Average age
93
years old
1946 SSA rank
#3,604
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Claiborn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Claiborn from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Claiborn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Claiborn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Claiborn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Claiborn
The name Claiborn has its origins in the Norman French language, which was spoken in Normandy, a region in northern France, during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old French words "cler" or "clair," meaning "clear" or "bright," and "borne," which referred to a boundary or landmark.
The name can be traced back to the 11th century, around the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It was likely brought to England by Norman nobles and settlers who accompanied William the Conqueror. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Domesday Book, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Claiborn was Claiborn de Borron, a 13th-century French poet and writer. He is best known for his contributions to the Arthurian legends, including the prose work "The Holy Grail" and the verse romance "Merlin."
Another significant figure was Sir Claiborn Handeville, an English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France in the 14th century. He was renowned for his bravery and military prowess, and played a crucial role in several battles, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
In the 16th century, Claiborn Weston was an English explorer and colonist who was part of the Roanoke Colony, one of the earliest attempts at establishing a permanent English settlement in North America. The colony ultimately failed, but Weston's accounts provided valuable insights into the region and its indigenous peoples.
During the American Revolutionary War, Claiborn Gooch was a Virginia-born soldier who served in the Continental Army under General George Washington. He was present at several pivotal battles, including the Siege of Yorktown, which marked the British surrender and the effective end of the war.
In the 19th century, Claiborn Fox Jackson was a prominent figure in the American Civil War. He served as a Confederate general and was known for his leadership and tactical skills in several major battles, including the Battle of Seven Pines and the Battle of Fredericksburg.
People
Claiborn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Claiborn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Claiborn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Claiborn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Claiborn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Claiborn a common name?
We classify Claiborn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Claiborn most popular?
The single biggest year for Claiborn was 1935, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Claiborn is about 93 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Claiborn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Claiborn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Claiborn in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Claiborn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Claiborn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Claiborn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Claiborn as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.