Clida
Of obscure origin, potentially derived from a combination of Germanic elements.
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Clida. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Clida today is around 106 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clida births was 1919 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clida. 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 Clida is about 106 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clidas were born before 1930.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Clida. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1919
7 babies that year
Average age
106
years old
1931 SSA rank
#3,948
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Clida: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clida 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 20 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Clida remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clida 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 Clida 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 Clida
The name Clida is believed to have originated from the Old English language, with roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. It is derived from the Old English word "cliðe," which means "warm" or "sheltered."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Clida can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appeared as a variation of the spelling "Clidda," referring to a landowner or tenant in the county of Gloucestershire.
In medieval times, the name Clida was associated with a sense of warmth, protection, and comfort. It was often given to children as a symbol of the parents' hope for their offspring to experience a warm and nurturing upbringing.
One of the earliest known historical figures bearing the name Clida was Clida of Mercia, a notable abbess who lived in the 8th century AD. She was renowned for her piety and dedication to the monastic life, leading an influential abbey in the Kingdom of Mercia, one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England.
Another notable individual with the name Clida was Clida the Scribe, a 10th-century monk and scholar known for his exceptional calligraphic skills and the meticulous preservation of ancient manuscripts. His work played a crucial role in the survival of many important historical and religious texts from the Middle Ages.
In the 12th century, Clida of Arundel, a noblewoman from the prominent Arundel family, was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry II. She was renowned for her patronage of the arts and her support for the construction of several churches and monasteries in southern England.
During the 13th century, Clida of Lincoln, a renowned herbalist and healer, gained widespread recognition for her knowledge of medicinal plants and her dedication to providing care for the sick and infirm. Her expertise in natural remedies was highly sought after, and she was often consulted by members of the nobility and clergy.
In the late medieval period, Clida de Lacy was a prominent landowner and benefactor in the county of Yorkshire. She was known for her generosity and her support for the construction of several charitable institutions, including almshouses and hospitals for the poor and infirm.
While the name Clida has faded in popularity over the centuries, its historical roots and associations with warmth, shelter, and nurturing remain an enduring part of its legacy.
People
Clida + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clida 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
Clida: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clida?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clida 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 Clida a common name?
We classify Clida 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, 49 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clida most popular?
The single biggest year for Clida was 1919, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clida is about 106 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 Clida in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clida a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clida 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 Clida still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clida 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 Clida 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 Clida?
See how many Americans are named Clida on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.