Clellie
A feminine name derived from the French word "clé" meaning "key".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Clellie. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 58.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Clellie today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clellie births was 1923 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clellie. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Clellie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1923
7 babies that year
Average age
-
1915 SSA rank
#3,931
Tracked since 1915
Gender
Gender distribution for Clellie
Clellie is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 12 total registrations, 5 (41.7%) were male and 7 (58.3%) were female.
Clellie as a male name
- Ranked #3,931 in 1915
- 5 male births in 1915
- Peak: 1915 (5 births)
Clellie as a female name
- Ranked #4,048 in 1923
- 7 female births in 1923
- Peak: 1923 (7 births)
Popularity
Clellie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clellie from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 7 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clellie 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 Clellie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Clellies live
Origin
Meaning and history of Clellie
The name Clellie has its origins in the Greek language and culture. It is believed to be a variation or diminutive form of the Greek name Clelia, which itself is derived from the ancient Greek word "kleos," meaning "glory" or "renown." The name Clelia was popular among the ancient Romans, who adopted and Latinized many Greek names.
During the Roman era, the name Clelia was associated with a legendary Roman maiden named Clelia, who is said to have been one of the hostages given to the Etruscan king Lars Porsenna during the war between Rome and the Etruscan city of Clusium in the 6th century BCE. According to the Roman historian Livy, Clelia managed to escape from the Etruscan camp and led a group of Roman maidens across the Tiber River to safety. Her bravery and cunning earned her great admiration among the Romans.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Clellie can be traced back to the Middle Ages, particularly in Italy and other parts of Europe where the influence of the Roman culture and language was strong. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Clellie Ventimiglia, an Italian noblewoman who lived in the 14th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Clellie:
1. Clellie Arpesani (1587-1654), an Italian poet and scholar from Bologna.
2. Clellie Favilli (1629-1685), an Italian painter from Florence, known for her portraits and religious artwork.
3. Clellie Renouard (1775-1824), a French writer and translator who was active during the Napoleonic era.
4. Clellie Massimo (1878-1965), an Italian noblewoman and philanthropist who founded several charitable organizations in Rome.
5. Clellie Iavazzo (1902-1988), an Italian actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and theatrical productions in the early 20th century.
While the name Clellie has its roots in ancient Greek and Roman cultures, it has remained a relatively rare and uncommon name throughout history, particularly in more recent times. Its usage has been largely confined to certain regions of Italy and other parts of Europe where the influence of the Roman heritage and language persisted.
People
Clellie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clellie 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
Clellie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clellie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clellie 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 - US residents.
Is Clellie a common name?
We classify Clellie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clellie most popular?
The single biggest year for Clellie was 1923, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clellie is about 0 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 Clellie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clellie a female name?
Yes, 58.3% of people registered as Clellie in the SSA data are female. 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 Clellie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clellie 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 Clellie 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 are named Clellie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.