Clen
A name of unknown origin, perhaps a variant or diminutive.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Clen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Clen today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clen births was 1916 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clen. 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 Clen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1916
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1916 SSA rank
#4,022
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Clen: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Clen 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 Clen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Clen
The name Clen is believed to have originated from the Old English language, derived from the word "clene," which means "clean" or "pure." This name was commonly used in medieval England during the 10th to 13th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Clen can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation conducted in England in 1086 under the reign of William the Conqueror. In this historical record, several individuals with the name Clen were listed as landowners or tenants.
During the Middle Ages, the name Clen was often associated with virtuous and pious individuals. It was not uncommon for children to be named after saints or biblical figures, and the name Clen may have been chosen to reflect the desired qualities of purity and cleanliness.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Clen was Clen the Scribe, a 12th-century monk and calligrapher from the Abbey of St. Albans in Hertfordshire, England. He was renowned for his exceptional skill in creating beautifully illuminated manuscripts and religious texts.
In the 13th century, a wealthy merchant named Clen Fitzwilliam was recorded as a prominent figure in the city of London. He was known for his successful trading ventures and his philanthropic contributions to the local community.
Another individual of note was Clen the Bard, a 14th-century Welsh poet and storyteller. His poetic works, which celebrated the rich cultural heritage of Wales, were widely recited and passed down through generations of oral tradition.
During the Renaissance period, a renowned Italian artist named Clen Della Robbia (1399-1482) was celebrated for his innovative work in glazed terracotta sculpture. His masterpieces adorned many churches and public buildings throughout Italy, and he is considered a pioneer in the art of sculpting with colored clay.
In more recent centuries, the name Clen has been less commonly used, but there have been a few individuals who have carried it. For instance, Clen Gough (1738-1825) was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, earning recognition for his bravery and strategic leadership.
People
Clen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clen 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
Clen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clen 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 Clen a common name?
We classify Clen 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, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clen most popular?
The single biggest year for Clen was 1916, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clen 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 Clen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clen 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 Clen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clen 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 Clen 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 Clen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.