Total births
815
Girls' name · since 1914
Clea
815 babies named Clea in U.S. Social Security records since 1914, with the highest year being 2022. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5316
- among girls today
- 815
- born since 1914
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Clea is the #5316 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 815 recorded since 1914.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Clea has been recorded 815 times among girls since 1914, currently ranked #5316 nationally and more common than 70% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1914 to 2025.
- #5316 among girls today
- 815 born since 1914
- 2000s peak decade
- 70% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Clea is currently the #5316 girls' name in America, more common than 70% of girls - 815 born since 1914, peaking in the 2000s.
- #5316
- among girls today
- 815
- born since 1914
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other girls
Clea vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5316
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 70% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Clea was born in this single decade.
2022
Single peak year
26 babies were named Clea in 2022 - its busiest year on record.
How Clea compares
815 Top 35% higher than 65% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Clea's all-time total is 113% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Clea | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 815 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 26 | 48 | 19,840 |
Clea's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Clea splits its recorded history at 1983: 62% of all births land in the more recent half, 38% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1932 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2022 peak of 26 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Clea at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2022
Current rank
#5,316
Active since
1914
Clea popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 26
- Annual births at peak, across 112 years of records
Clea popularity over time - boys
10 total births recorded since 1921 (Clea as boys' name)
Clea by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Clea's strongest decade.
133 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Clea births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 35
1910s
35 births
- 1920s
1920s
56 births
- 1930s 33
1930s
33 births
- 1940s 17
1940s
17 births
- 1950s 16
1950s
16 births
- 1960s
1960s
68 births
- 1970s
1970s
57 births
- 1980s
1980s
74 births
- 1990s
1990s
76 births
- 2000s
2000s
133 births
- 2010s
2010s
128 births
- 2020s
2020s
122 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 133 births (16% of all-time use).
How Clea compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Clea's total volume
Clea vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Clea by state
Where Clea concentrates geographically, total births since 1914
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 19 | 2.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 10 | 1.2% |
| #3 | Utah | | 5 | 0.6% |
California share of Clea's total US births 2.3%
Even split
19 of 815 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Clea? ▼
815 babies have been named Clea since 1914. It currently ranks #5316 among girls. The peak year was 2022 with 26 births.
When was Clea most popular? ▼
Clea was most popular in the 2000s decade with 133 total births. The single peak year was 2022.
Where is Clea most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Clea are California (19 births), New York (10 births), Utah (5 births).
How long has the name Clea been used? ▼
Records for Clea go back to 1914, giving 112 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Clea? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cleo, Clementine, Cleta, Clemmie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Clea's data
- Clea's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (133 total births) through the 2020s (122) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Cleas (19 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Clea
Nearby Names Like Clea
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Clea
Cleo Girl
#607 33,565 births
Clementine Girl
#474 13,676 births
Cleta Girl
4,013 births
Clemmie Girl
2,637 births
Cleopatra Girl
#3402 2,484 births
Compare Clea side by side: Clea vs Cleo Clea vs Clementine Clea vs Cleta
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Clea
Demetria #5315
10,960 births · Peak 1974
Lucila #5317
2,483 births · Peak 1982
Mirian #5314
3,391 births · Peak 2003
Aphrodite #5318
728 births · Peak 2024
Stefanie #5313
37,144 births · Peak 1983
Rosaleen #5319
1,218 births · Peak 2019
Maryrose #5312
2,314 births · Peak 1926
Madelynne #5320
1,805 births · Peak 2008
Data Sources
Data as of July 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1914–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Clea: #5316 Girls' Name - 815 Births, Peak 2022." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/clea. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Clea draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.