Clerance
A feminine name derived from the French word "clair" meaning "fair" or "light".
Name Census estimates that about 28 living Americans carry the first name Clerance. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Clerance today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clerance births was 1935 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clerance. 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 Clerance is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clerances were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Clerance. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
28
~ 1 in 12,241,226 Americans
Peak year
1935
11 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1950 SSA rank
#3,778
Tracked since 1898
Census
Clerance in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 142 people with the first name Clerance, which placed it at #46,696 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
#46,696
National first-name rank
People counted
142
142 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
58.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clerance
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Clerance is Black at 58.5%. The next largest groups are White (35.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Clerance 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 Clerance at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.5% · 83
- White35.2% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Popularity
Clerance: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clerance from the 1890s through to the 1950s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 59 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
Clerance 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 Clerance 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 Clerance
The name Clerance is a unique and intriguing moniker with a rich history that spans centuries and cultures. Its origins can be traced back to the Latin name Clarentia, which itself derives from the word "clarus," meaning "clear" or "bright." This connection to clarity and radiance sets the stage for the name's evolution and significance throughout the ages.
In ancient times, Clerance was particularly prevalent in regions influenced by Roman culture, such as parts of modern-day Italy, France, and Spain. It was a name often bestowed upon individuals who exhibited qualities of wisdom, intelligence, and virtue. Records show that a Roman scholar named Clerance Quintus lived during the 2nd century AD and was renowned for his philosophical writings on ethics and morality.
As Christianity spread across Europe, the name Clerance gained further prominence and was adopted by various religious figures. One notable bearer was Saint Clerance of Auxerre, a 6th-century French bishop known for his charitable works and efforts to spread Christianity throughout Gaul. His life and deeds were documented in the hagiographies of the time, cementing his place in the annals of religious history.
The Middle Ages saw the name Clerance continue to flourish, particularly among the nobility and aristocracy. In England, Clerance de Vere, a 13th-century nobleman and military leader, played a significant role in the Barons' Wars against King Henry III. His bravery and leadership on the battlefield earned him recognition in chronicles of the era.
Across the Atlantic, the name Clerance found its way to the Americas, carried by early European settlers and explorers. One such figure was Clerance de la Roche, a French navigator who led expeditions to the New World in the late 16th century. His exploits were documented in various accounts, contributing to the name's global reach.
In the realm of literature, the name Clerance has been immortalized through the works of renowned authors. William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" features a character named Clerance, a courtier to the Danish king. This literary reference has helped to solidify the name's cultural significance and enduring legacy.
Other notable bearers of the name Clerance include Clerance Darrow, an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union in the early 20th century, and Clerance Clemons, an American saxophonist and longtime member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.
While the name Clerance may not be as common in modern times, its rich historical tapestry and association with clarity, wisdom, and virtue have endured throughout the ages, making it a name that continues to captivate and intrigue those who encounter it.
People
Clerance + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clerance 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
Clerance: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clerance?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 28 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clerance 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 12,241,226 US residents.
Is Clerance a common name?
We classify Clerance as "Very Rare". It ranks above 45.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 163 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clerance most popular?
The single biggest year for Clerance was 1935, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clerance is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Clerance in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 142 people with the name Clerance, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,696 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 Clerance 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 Clerance?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Clerance leans strongly male. 137 people counted with this name were male (97.9%), compared with 3 female bearers (2.1%). 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 Clerance?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Clerance is Black at 58.5%. The next largest groups are White (35.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Clerance most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Clerance in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.5% (83 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 Clerance in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clerance a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clerance 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 Clerance still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clerance 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 Clerance 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 share the name Clerance?
Want to know how many Americans are named Clerance? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.