Clearnce
A name derived from the Latin "clarus," meaning clear or bright.
Name Census estimates that about 145 living Americans carry the first name Clearnce. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Clearnce today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clearnce births was 1930 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clearnce. 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 Clearnce is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clearnces were born before 1958.
People living today
145
~ 1 in 2,363,823 Americans
Peak year
1930
25 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1973 SSA rank
#5,223
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Clearnce: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clearnce from the 1910s through to the 1970s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 142 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clearnce 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 Clearnce during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Clearnces live
Origin
Meaning and history of Clearnce
The given name Clearnce is an English variant of the Latin name Clemens, which means "mild" or "merciful." It has its roots in the Roman era, deriving from the Latin word clementia, which signified gentleness or moderation.
Clemens was a common name among the ancient Romans, and it was particularly popular during the early Christian era. The name is mentioned in the New Testament, where it refers to a disciple of St. Paul who is believed to have been one of the first bishops of Rome.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Clearnce can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Clarenc" or "Clarencia" in various entries, suggesting its use in England during the Norman period.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Clearnce. One of the most famous was Clemens Romanus, a prominent figure in the early Christian church who lived in the 1st century AD. Another was Clemens Alexandrinus, a Christian theologian and philosopher who lived in the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries.
During the Middle Ages, the name Clearnce was favored among the nobility and clergy. One notable bearer was Clemence of Hungary, a medieval queen consort of France who lived from 1293 to 1328.
In more recent times, the name Clearnce has been less common, although there have been a few notable individuals who carried it. One such person was Clarence Darrow (1857-1938), a renowned American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Another notable Clearnce was Clarence Birdseye (1886-1956), an American inventor and entrepreneur who is credited with developing the modern frozen food industry.
People
Clearnce + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clearnce 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
Clearnce: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clearnce?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 145 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clearnce 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 2,363,823 US residents.
Is Clearnce a common name?
We classify Clearnce as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 482 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clearnce most popular?
The single biggest year for Clearnce was 1930, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clearnce is about 78 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 Clearnce in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clearnce a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clearnce 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 Clearnce still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clearnce 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 Clearnce 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 Americans are named Clearnce?
You can see how many Americans are named Clearnce on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.