Cleatus
A masculine name derived from the Latin name "Nicholaus" or "Nicholas".
Name Census estimates that about 299 living Americans carry the first name Cleatus. It is a predominantly male name (92.6% of registrations). The average person named Cleatus today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cleatus births was 1920 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cleatus. 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 Cleatus is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Cleatus' were born before 1963.
People living today
299
~ 1 in 1,146,336 Americans
Peak year
1920
33 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1977 SSA rank
#4,843
Tracked since 1907
Census
Cleatus in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 341 people with the first name Cleatus, which placed it at #27,024 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#27,024
National first-name rank
People counted
341
341 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
67.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cleatus
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cleatus is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cleatus described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cleatus at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 231
- Black or African American23.2% · 79
- Two or more races5.0% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for Cleatus
Cleatus leans heavily male at 92.6% of total registrations, but 71 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Cleatus as a male name
- Ranked #5,240 in 1977
- 6 male births in 1977
- Peak: 1924 (30 births)
Cleatus as a female name
- Ranked #4,843 in 1947
- 6 female births in 1947
- Peak: 1920 (8 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cleatus leans strongly male. 309 people counted with this name were male (89.3%), compared with 37 female bearers (10.7%).
Popularity
Cleatus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cleatus from the 1900s through to the 1970s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 255 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
Cleatus 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 Cleatus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cleatus' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas recorded the most babies named Cleatus, while Kentucky, Alabama, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cleatus
The name Cleatus is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. Some scholars trace its roots back to ancient Greece, where it may have been derived from the Greek word "kletos," meaning "called" or "summoned." This connection to a sense of destiny or purpose adds depth to the name's significance.
Others suggest that Cleatus could have originated from Latin, potentially stemming from the word "cletus," which means "renowned" or "celebrated." If this etymology is accurate, it would imbue the name with a sense of honor and acclaim.
Interestingly, the earliest recorded instance of the name Cleatus appears in the 4th century, in the writings of the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus. He mentioned a soldier named Cleatus who served under the Emperor Julian during his campaigns in Gaul.
Throughout the centuries, the name Cleatus has been borne by a handful of notable individuals. One such figure was Cleatus of Cologne, a 6th-century saint and bishop who is venerated in the Catholic Church. His life and work contributed to the spread of Christianity in the Rhineland region of Germany.
In the 11th century, a Benedictine monk named Cleatus of St. Gall gained recognition for his scholarly pursuits and his contributions to the preservation of ancient manuscripts. His meticulous work helped preserve invaluable knowledge for future generations.
Moving forward in time, we encounter Cleatus Schuppenhauer, a 17th-century German philosopher and theologian who played a significant role in shaping the intellectual discourse of his era. His writings on metaphysics and ethics continue to be studied by scholars to this day.
The 19th century saw the rise of Cleatus Burbridge, a renowned American architect whose designs left an indelible mark on the landscape of various cities across the United States. His iconic buildings, characterized by their intricate details and innovative use of materials, stand as a testament to his artistic vision.
Finally, in the 20th century, we have Cleatus Ronan, an Irish writer and poet whose poignant works captured the essence of his homeland's culture and traditions. His lyrical prose and vivid imagery have earned him a place among the literary greats of his time.
People
Cleatus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cleatus 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
Cleatus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cleatus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 299 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cleatus 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 1,146,336 US residents.
Is Cleatus a common name?
We classify Cleatus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 965 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cleatus most popular?
The single biggest year for Cleatus was 1920, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cleatus is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cleatus in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 341 people with the name Cleatus, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,024 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cleatus in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cleatus?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cleatus leans strongly male. 309 people counted with this name were male (89.3%), compared with 37 female bearers (10.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cleatus?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cleatus is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cleatus most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cleatus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (231 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Cleatus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cleatus a male name?
Yes, 92.6% of people registered as Cleatus 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 Cleatus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cleatus 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 Cleatus 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.
How many people are called Cleatus?
Find out how many people have the name Cleatus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.