Cloris
A feminine name derived from the Greek word "khloros," meaning "green and fresh."
Name Census estimates that about 72 living Americans carry the first name Cloris. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cloris today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cloris births was 1975 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cloris. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cloris. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
72
~ 1 in 4,760,477 Americans
Peak year
1975
9 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2016 SSA rank
#16,826
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Cloris: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cloris from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 40 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Cloris remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cloris 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 Cloris 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 Cloris
The name Cloris is derived from the Greek word "chloros," which means "green" or "pale green." It has its roots in ancient Greek mythology and was originally used to refer to the goddess of flowers, also known as Flora in Roman mythology.
In Greek mythology, Cloris was a minor goddess associated with the arrival of spring and the blooming of flowers. She was often depicted as a young, beautiful woman adorned with floral garlands and carrying a basket of blossoms. The name Cloris was intended to capture the essence of nature's renewal and the vibrant hues of the natural world.
The earliest recorded use of the name Cloris can be traced back to ancient Greek literature, particularly in the works of poets and playwrights. One notable example is the character Cloris, who appears in the pastoral poetry of the Greek poet Theocritus, who lived in the 3rd century BCE.
Throughout history, the name Cloris has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Cloris, a 5th-century BCE Athenian vase painter known for her exquisite depictions of floral motifs and mythological scenes on pottery. Another notable figure was Cloris, a Roman woman who lived during the 1st century BCE and was celebrated for her skill in embroidery and textile arts.
In the 16th century, the French poet and scholar Pierre de Ronsard wrote a series of love poems called "Les Amours" dedicated to his muse, a woman named Cloris. This literary work helped popularize the name during the Renaissance period.
During the 17th century, the English poet and playwright John Dryden featured a character named Cloris in his play "The Wild Gallant." This further contributed to the name's recognition and association with literary and artistic circles.
Another notable bearer of the name was Cloris Leachman, an American actress born in 1926. She had a long and distinguished career in film, television, and theater, winning numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1971 film "The Last Picture Show."
Notable bearers
Famous people named Cloris
People
Cloris + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cloris 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
Cloris: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cloris?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 72 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cloris 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 4,760,477 US residents.
Is Cloris a common name?
We classify Cloris as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 154 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cloris most popular?
The single biggest year for Cloris was 1975, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cloris is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cloris a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cloris 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.
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.