Clytie
Greek mythology name meaning "the gloriously green tint of verdure".
Name Census estimates that about 21 living Americans carry the first name Clytie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Clytie today is around 89 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clytie births was 1916 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clytie. 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 Clytie is about 89 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clyties were born before 1947.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Clytie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
21
~ 1 in 16,321,635 Americans
Peak year
1916
18 babies that year
Average age
89
years old
1948 SSA rank
#5,387
Tracked since 1886
Popularity
Clytie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clytie from the 1880s through to the 1940s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 98 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clytie 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 Clytie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Clyties live
Origin
Meaning and history of Clytie
The name Clytie has its origins in Greek mythology. It is derived from the ancient Greek word "klytós" which means "famous" or "renowned". The name was borne by a figure in Greek mythology who was a water nymph and an Oceanid. According to the myth, Clytie was in love with the sun god Helios, but her affection was not reciprocated. Clytie was so distraught that she sat on the ground for nine days, staring at the sun and never eating or drinking. At last, she was transformed into the heliotrope flower, which turns its head to follow the path of the sun across the sky each day.
The earliest recorded use of the name Clytie dates back to ancient Greece, where it was given to some women and girls, likely inspired by the mythological figure. However, it remained an uncommon name throughout Greek and Roman antiquity. The name appears in some ancient Greek literature and texts, such as Ovid's "Metamorphoses", which recounts the myth of Clytie and her unrequited love for Helios.
One of the earliest known historical figures named Clytie lived in the 3rd century BC. Clytie of Miletus was a Greek poet and scholar who wrote a work on the history of Alexandria and its founders. Little is known about her life, but she is mentioned by ancient authors like Athenaeus and Plutarch.
In the 16th century, the name Clytie was revived in some European countries, particularly in England and France, likely due to the influence of Renaissance humanism and the renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman culture. One notable bearer of the name was Clytie Pico della Mirandola (1554-1623), an Italian noblewoman and scholar who was known for her intelligence and erudition.
In the 19th century, the name Clytie gained some popularity in the United States. Clytie Mayo (1858-1934) was an American author and educator who wrote several books on literature and language. Another notable American named Clytie was Clytie Spencer (1896-1986), a painter and artist who was part of the Woodstock Artist Colony.
Other historical figures named Clytie include Clytie Bell Sewell (1861-1951), a British feminist and suffragist, and Clytie Isaure de Loriol-Pillet (1813-1889), a French writer and poet who was a member of the Académie des Jeux Floraux.
People
Clytie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clytie 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
Clytie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clytie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clytie 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 16,321,635 US residents.
Is Clytie a common name?
We classify Clytie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 40.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 301 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clytie most popular?
The single biggest year for Clytie was 1916, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clytie is about 89 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Clytie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clytie 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.