Clesta
A feminine name derived from Celeste, meaning heavenly or celestial.
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Clesta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Clesta today is around 89 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clesta births was 1923 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clesta. 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 Clesta is about 89 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clestas were born before 1947.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Clesta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1923
6 babies that year
Average age
89
years old
1934 SSA rank
#4,396
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Clesta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clesta from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Clesta remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clesta 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 Clesta 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 Clesta
The name Clesta has its origins in ancient Greek culture, dating back to the 5th century BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "klēstos," which means "called" or "invited." The name could have been given to children who were considered a welcome addition to the family or a gift from the gods.
In the early days of its usage, Clesta was a relatively uncommon name, primarily found among the Greek aristocracy and upper classes. One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentions a woman named Clesta in his work "The Histories."
As Greek culture spread throughout the Mediterranean region, the name Clesta also gained popularity in other areas, particularly in ancient Rome. It is said that a Roman noblewoman named Clesta lived during the reign of Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century CE, and her name was inscribed on a marble tablet discovered in the ruins of Pompeii.
During the Byzantine Empire, the name Clesta experienced a resurgence in popularity. One notable figure bearing this name was Clesta of Thessalonica, a 9th-century Byzantine scholar and philosopher who wrote extensively on the works of Aristotle and Plato.
In the Middle Ages, the name Clesta was not as widely used, but it did appear in various historical records. One example is Clesta of Landshut, a 13th-century German noblewoman who was known for her patronage of the arts and her support for the construction of several churches and monasteries.
As the Renaissance period dawned, the name Clesta gained new prominence, particularly in Italy. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Clesta Farnese, a 16th-century Italian noblewoman who was a patron of the arts and a influential figure in the cultural and political circles of her time.
In the 18th century, Clesta Venerini, an Italian educator and founder of the Venerini Sisters, a religious order dedicated to the education of girls, left a lasting legacy with her work in promoting education and women's empowerment.
Other notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Clesta include Clesta Whitaker, a 19th-century American educator and women's rights activist, and Clesta Leclerq, a 20th-century French artist known for her avant-garde paintings and sculptures.
People
Clesta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clesta 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
Clesta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clesta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clesta 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Clesta a common name?
We classify Clesta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clesta most popular?
The single biggest year for Clesta was 1923, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clesta is about 89 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 Clesta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clesta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clesta 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 Clesta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clesta 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 Clesta 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 share the name Clesta?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.