Cleother
Of Greek origin, meaning "glory and renown", or "famed for virtue".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Cleother. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cleother today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cleother births was 1918 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cleother. 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 Cleother is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Cleothers were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cleother. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1918
5 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1947 SSA rank
#3,815
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Cleother: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cleother from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 5 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
Cleother 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 Cleother during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cleothers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cleother
The name Cleother is of Greek origin, tracing its roots back to ancient Hellenic culture. It is derived from the Greek words "kleos," meaning "glory" or "renown," and "theros," signifying "summer." The combination suggests a name with connotations of glory or fame attained during the summer season.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cleother can be found in Plutarch's "Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans," written in the 1st century AD. Here, Plutarch mentions a Cleother who served as a general in the Achaean League, a confederation of Greek city-states during the 3rd century BC.
In Byzantine times, a Cleother was recorded as a monk and scholar who lived in the 6th century AD. He is known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature and philosophy.
During the Renaissance period, Cleother appears as the name of a minor character in the literary work "The Shepherd's Calendar" by Edmund Spenser, published in 1579. This work was a significant contribution to English literature and helped establish Spenser's reputation as one of the greatest poets of the Elizabethan era.
Moving forward in history, Cleother Wilbraham was a British politician and landowner who lived from 1759 to 1838. He served as a member of Parliament for several constituencies and was known for his involvement in agricultural and educational reforms.
Another notable figure with the name Cleother was Cleother Randolph, an American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1809 to 1892. He made his fortune in the textile industry and was a major benefactor of educational institutions, including the University of Virginia.
While not as common as some other names, Cleother has left its mark on various cultures and eras throughout history, carrying connotations of glory, renown, and scholarly pursuits.
People
Cleother + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cleother 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
Cleother: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cleother?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cleother 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Cleother a common name?
We classify Cleother as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cleother most popular?
The single biggest year for Cleother was 1918, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cleother is about 83 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 Cleother in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cleother a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cleother 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 Cleother still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cleother 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 Cleother 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 called Cleother?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.