boys' name ★ peaked 1981

Clinton

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,732 Trend ↓ Falling 29%

A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th century and later usage.

Rank 2025
#1,732
among boys · ↑192 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
94
named Clinton · +15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 18,171
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1981
2,222 babies
All-time total
98,005
#319 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Clinton popularity over time

98,005 babies have been named Clinton 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
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 867 867 87 – #139
1890s – 857 857 86 -1% #150
1900s – 1,122 1,122 112 +31% #149
1910s 18 5,302 5,320 532 +374% #157
1920s 69 8,443 8,512 851 +60% #158
1930s 40 6,708 6,748 675 -21% #185
1940s 14 7,706 7,720 772 +14% #194
1950s 35 9,324 9,359 936 +21% #217
1960s 52 10,268 10,320 1,032 +10% #187
1970s 96 16,346 16,442 1,644 +59% #142
1980s 109 17,533 17,642 1,764 +7% #124
1990s 5 7,930 7,935 794 -55% #191
2000s – 2,585 2,585 259 -67% #633
2010s – 1,912 1,912 191 -26% #912
2020s (to 2025) – 664 664 111 -42% #1,370

Where Clinton 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 89 0.05 outside top 500
2027 85 0.05 outside top 500
2028 81 0.05 outside top 500
2029 78 0.05 outside top 500
2030 76 0.04 outside top 500

Where Clinton is most popular

Boys named Clinton per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.062 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.

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 Clinton 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
Mississippi 8 0.141 +127%
Oklahoma 11 0.124 +101%
Louisiana 9 0.088 +42%
Georgia 18 0.071 +15%
Kentucky 7 0.070 +13%
Tennessee 11 0.061 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 15 0.056 -9%
North Carolina 14 0.055 -11%
Texas 48 0.054 -12%
Virginia 10 0.053 -15%
Missouri 7 0.051 -18%
Alabama 5 0.046 -26%
Florida 19 0.040 -35%
Illinois 10 0.039 -37%
Ohio 9 0.034 -45%
Michigan 5 0.024 -61%
California 19 0.021 -66%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Clinton

Clinton is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,732 in 2025 with 94 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 98,005 American babies have been named Clinton. Its peak came in 1981, when 2,222 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Clinton stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Clinton?

The median living Clinton is about 47 years old; half are between 38 and 60. An estimated 65 thousand people named Clinton are alive in the United States today.

median 47 020406080100

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

Clinton 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 – – 94 #1,732
2024 – – 82 #1,924
2023 – – 104 #1,651
2022 – – 133 #1,398
2021 – – 122 #1,470
2020 – – 129 #1,370
2019 – – 125 #1,408
2018 – – 158 #1,195
2017 – – 140 #1,295
2016 – – 187 #1,057
2015 – – 201 #1,012
2014 – – 234 #915
2013 – – 220 #927
2012 – – 227 #912
2011 – – 221 #912
2010 – – 199 #990
2009 – – 226 #913
2008 – – 248 #855
2007 – – 291 #756
2006 – – 240 #843
2005 – – 279 #726
2004 – – 258 #731
2003 – – 252 #728
2002 – – 245 #724
2001 – – 257 #698
2000 – – 289 #633
1995 – – 476 #466
1990 – – 1,501 #203
1985 6 #9,540 1,693 #162
1980 16 #4,554 2,165 #131
1975 13 #4,636 1,578 #154
1970 8 #5,911 1,595 #175
1965 – – 919 #245
1960 5 #6,522 1,095 #243
1955 – – 833 #243
1950 5 #5,435 832 #220
1945 – – 681 #209
1940 6 #3,942 632 #204
1935 – – 718 #185
1930 10 #2,883 694 #201
1925 7 #4,101 862 #172
1920 5 #5,119 908 #158
1915 – – 681 #167
1910 – – 162 #175
1905 – – 98 #186
1900 – – 91 #205
1895 – – 91 #171
1890 – – 90 #156
1885 – – 82 #162
1880 – – 79 #165

Famous people named Clinton

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

  1. 1 Clinton Morrison Clinton Morrison Footballer (born 1979) Contemporary
  2. 2 Clinton Davisson Clinton Davisson American physicist (1881–1958) 19th century
  3. 3 Clinton Hart Merriam Clinton Hart Merriam American zoologist and ornithologist 1855–1942 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Clinton?

The median living Clinton is about 47 years old. Half of all living Clintons are between 38 and 60 years old.

How many people named Clinton are alive today?

An estimated 65 thousand people named Clinton are alive in the United States, based on 98,005 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Clinton mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th century and later usage.

How popular is the name Clinton in 2025?

Clinton ranked #1,732 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 94 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Clinton?

98,005 babies have been named Clinton in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Clinton most popular?

Clinton peaked in 1981, when 2,222 newborns received the name.

Is Clinton a boy or girl name?

Clinton is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Clinton rising or falling?

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

Will Clinton become more popular?

Clinton is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 76 boys named Clinton 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 Clinton?

Well-known people named Clinton include Clinton Morrison (soccer player), Clinton Davisson (physicist), Clinton Hart Merriam (biologist).

Names like Clinton

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

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