Clennie
Derived from the French word "clémence" meaning merciful or gentle.
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Clennie. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 55.1% of registrations being male. The average person named Clennie today is around 117 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clennie births was 1936 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clennie. 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 Clennie is about 117 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clennies were born before 1919.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Clennie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1936
7 babies that year
Average age
117
years old
1936 SSA rank
#2,915
Tracked since 1894
Gender
Gender distribution for Clennie
Clennie is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 49 total registrations, 27 (55.1%) were male and 22 (44.9%) were female.
Clennie as a male name
- Ranked #2,915 in 1936
- 7 male births in 1936
- Peak: 1936 (7 births)
Clennie as a female name
- Ranked #4,348 in 1919
- 6 female births in 1919
- Peak: 1903 (6 births)
Popularity
Clennie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clennie from the 1890s through to the 1930s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 21 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Clennie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clennie 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 Clennie 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 Clennie
The given name Clennie has its origins in the Gaelic language, which was spoken by the ancient Celts who inhabited parts of Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. It is a diminutive form of the name Cluinn, which means "listen" or "hear" in Gaelic. The earliest recorded use of the name Clennie dates back to the 16th century in Scotland.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the name Clennie was Clennie MacRae, a Scottish clansman who lived in the late 16th century. He was a member of the influential MacRae clan, which traced its roots to the Scottish Highlands.
During the 17th century, the name Clennie appeared in various historical records and documents from Scotland. One notable figure was Clennie Campbell, who was born in 1632 and served as a member of the Scottish Parliament during the turbulent years of the Scottish Civil War.
In the 18th century, the name Clennie gained some prominence in the literary world. Clennie Macpherson, a Scottish poet born in 1718, was known for her compositions in the Gaelic language, which helped preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Scottish Highlands.
As the centuries progressed, the name Clennie continued to be used, albeit less frequently. In the 19th century, Clennie Bremner, a Scottish farmer and landowner born in 1812, was a notable figure in the agricultural community of Aberdeenshire.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Clennie was Clennie McIlwain, an American professional baseball player who was born in 1889 and played in the Major Leagues from 1913 to 1920. He was known for his defensive skills as an outfielder and played for teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Braves.
While the name Clennie is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and various parts of the world. Its Gaelic origins and connection to the Scottish Highlands add a sense of cultural significance and history to this unique name.
People
Clennie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clennie 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
Clennie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clennie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clennie 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Clennie a common name?
We classify Clennie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 49 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clennie most popular?
The single biggest year for Clennie was 1936, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clennie is about 117 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 Clennie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clennie a male name?
Yes, 55.1% of people registered as Clennie 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 Clennie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clennie 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 Clennie 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 the name Clennie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.