boys' name ★ peaked 1921

Clarence

Meaning from the town of Clare Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,500 Trend ↓ Falling 25%

Originally a ducal title of the English and British royal family, from Clārensis (“from the town of Clare”), (the town of Clare, Suffolk), although it has also been…

Rank 2025
#1,500
among boys · ↑52 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
117
named Clarence · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 14,599
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1921
7,367 babies
All-time total
305,423
#119 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Clarence popularity over time

305,423 babies have been named Clarence since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
3.757.511.251518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 17 8,760 8,777 878 – #17
1890s 48 11,901 11,949 1,195 +36% #17
1900s 78 13,573 13,651 1,365 +14% #17
1910s 272 49,196 49,468 4,947 +262% #20
1920s 405 66,574 66,979 6,698 +35% #26
1930s 282 42,676 42,958 4,296 -36% #39
1940s 205 36,197 36,402 3,640 -15% #62
1950s 181 29,488 29,669 2,967 -18% #95
1960s 162 17,500 17,662 1,766 -40% #155
1970s 125 10,667 10,792 1,079 -39% #187
1980s 74 7,364 7,438 744 -31% #257
1990s 10 4,538 4,548 455 -39% #375
2000s – 2,592 2,592 259 -43% #614
2010s – 1,795 1,795 180 -31% #989
2020s (to 2025) – 743 743 124 -31% #1,327

Where Clarence is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 112 0.07 outside top 500
2027 107 0.06 outside top 500
2028 104 0.06 outside top 500
2029 101 0.06 outside top 500
2030 98 0.06 outside top 500

Where Clarence is most popular

Boys named Clarence per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.070 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Clarence born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Louisiana 11 0.108 +53%
Florida 49 0.103 +47%
North Carolina 25 0.098 +39%
Wisconsin 11 0.093 +32%
Georgia 23 0.091 +29%
Ohio 17 0.064 -9%
Tennessee 11 0.061 -13%
Kentucky 6 0.060 -15%
Texas 48 0.054 -23%
Michigan 11 0.054 -24%
Indiana 8 0.050 -29%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -31%
New York 18 0.042 -41%
Missouri 5 0.036 -49%
Virginia 6 0.032 -55%
Washington 5 0.031 -57%
California 27 0.030 -58%
Illinois 6 0.023 -67%
Pennsylvania 5 0.019 -73%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Clarence

Clarence is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,500 in 2025 with 117 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 305,423 American babies have been named Clarence. Its peak came in 1921, when 7,367 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Clarence stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Clarence?

The median living Clarence is about 67 years old; half are between 52 and 77. An estimated 89 thousand people named Clarence are alive in the United States today.

median 67 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Clarence year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 117 #1,500
2024 – – 113 #1,552
2023 – – 112 #1,559
2022 – – 137 #1,366
2021 – – 129 #1,419
2020 – – 135 #1,327
2019 – – 169 #1,152
2018 – – 173 #1,119
2017 – – 158 #1,182
2016 – – 156 #1,211
2015 – – 185 #1,070
2014 – – 197 #1,028
2013 – – 176 #1,065
2012 – – 191 #1,023
2011 – – 191 #1,011
2010 – – 199 #989
2009 – – 193 #1,016
2008 – – 218 #932
2007 – – 251 #845
2006 – – 249 #817
2005 – – 297 #694
2004 – – 250 #745
2003 – – 260 #715
2002 – – 262 #693
2001 – – 302 #627
2000 – – 310 #614
1995 – – 425 #499
1990 5 #13,409 618 #375
1985 10 #6,555 675 #304
1980 9 #6,895 859 #257
1975 10 #5,606 909 #225
1970 17 #3,613 1,384 #193
1965 14 #3,426 1,802 #166
1960 17 #3,006 2,198 #157
1955 17 #2,744 3,017 #117
1950 17 #2,450 3,340 #95
1945 23 #1,756 3,196 #82
1940 22 #1,694 3,487 #64
1935 18 #1,856 4,080 #48
1930 46 #1,088 5,498 #39
1925 43 #1,179 6,670 #30
1920 44 #1,134 7,221 #26
1915 26 #1,411 6,267 #24
1910 15 #1,178 1,706 #20
1905 8 #1,440 1,377 #17
1900 11 #1,180 1,483 #18
1895 14 #867 1,326 #17
1890 – – 1,018 #17
1885 – – 906 #17
1880 7 #687 730 #22

Famous people named Clarence

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Clarence Thomas Clarence Thomas US Supreme Court justice since 1991 b. 1948 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Clarence Seedorf Clarence Seedorf Dutch footballer (born 1976) Contemporary
  3. 3 Clarence Gilyard Clarence Gilyard American actor (1955–2022) Contemporary
  4. 4 Clarence Williams III Clarence Williams III American actor (1939–2021) Contemporary
  5. 5 Clarence Clemons Clarence Clemons American saxophonist (1942–2011) Contemporary
  6. 6 Clarence Darrow Clarence Darrow American lawyer and politician (1857–1938) 19th century
  7. 7 Clarence Nash Clarence Nash American voice actor (1904–1985) Contemporary
  8. 8 Clarence White Clarence White American musician (1944–1973) Contemporary
  9. 9 Clarence Brown Clarence Brown American film director (1890–1987) 19th century
  10. 10 Clarence Zener American physicist (1905–1993) Contemporary
  11. 11 Clarence Acuña Chilean footballer (born 1975) Contemporary
  12. 12 Clarence Goodson Clarence Goodson American soccer player (born 1982) Contemporary
  13. 13 Clarence Walker South African boxer 1898–1957 · 19th century
  14. 14 Clarence Kingsbury Clarence Kingsbury English cyclist (1882–1949) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Clarence, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Clarence?

The median living Clarence is about 67 years old. Half of all living Clarences are between 52 and 77 years old.

How many people named Clarence are alive today?

An estimated 89 thousand people named Clarence are alive in the United States, based on 305,423 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Clarence mean?

Originally a ducal title of the English and British royal family, from Clārensis (“from the town of Clare”), (the town of Clare, Suffolk), although it has also been associated with Italian Chiarenza, Clarentza, &c., a former…

How popular is the name Clarence in 2025?

Clarence ranked #1,500 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 117 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Clarence?

305,423 babies have been named Clarence in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Clarence most popular?

Clarence peaked in 1921, when 7,367 newborns received the name.

Is Clarence a boy or girl name?

Clarence is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Clarence rising or falling?

Clarence is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Clarence become more popular?

Clarence is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 98 boys named Clarence in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Clarence?

Well-known people named Clarence include Clarence Thomas (judge), Clarence Seedorf (soccer player), Clarence Gilyard (actor).

Names like Clarence

Names that sound and feel close to Clarence: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Clarence with similar names → More names starting with C →