Clarence

Clarence: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“bright; clear”
Origin
Latin
Say it
KLAIR-ents · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

Probably from the Latin title-name Clarensis, associated with Clare in Suffolk and later the English ducal title of Clarence. It has also been associated with Latin clarus 'clear, bright.'

How popular is Clarence?

202433.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Clarence in 2024111

2024 rank#1,558 boys

Peak year1886

Total US babies since 1880305,304

Clarence is steady now but far below its 1886 peak.

Names like Clarence

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Clarence questions

What does the name Clarence mean?

Clarence means "bright; clear". It comes from Latin. Probably from the Latin title-name Clarensis, associated with Clare in Suffolk and later the English ducal title of Clarence. It has also been associated with Latin clarus 'clear, bright.'

Is Clarence a boy or girl name?

Clarence is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Clarence?

111 US babies were named Clarence in 2024. Its peak year was 1886.

How do you pronounce Clarence?

Clarence is usually pronounced KLAIR-ents.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.