Total births
281
Boys' name · since 1948
Clete
281 babies named Clete in U.S. Social Security records since 1948, with the highest year being 1965. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 281
- total births
- 1948–2017
- years on record
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 34%
- born in that decade
Clete is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 281 have been recorded since 1948.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Clete has been recorded 281 times among boys since 1948, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1948 to 2017.
- 281 total births
- 1948–2017 years on record
- 1960s peak decade
- 34% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
281 boys have been named Clete since 1948, peaking in the 1960s, last recorded in 2017.
- 281
- total births
- 1948–2017
- years on record
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 34%
- born in that decade
1960s
Peak decade
34% of everyone ever named Clete was born in this single decade.
1965
Single peak year
18 babies were named Clete in 1965 - its busiest year on record.
Clete's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Clete's full recorded timeline at 1972, 42% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 58% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1952, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1965 peak of 18 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Clete at a glance
Last recorded 2017Peak year
1965
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1948
Clete popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1948–2017
- Peak year (1965)
- 18
- Annual births at peak, across 70 years of records
Clete by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Clete's strongest decade.
96 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Clete births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 6
1940s
6 births
- 1950s
1950s
44 births
- 1960s
1960s
96 births
- 1970s
1970s
67 births
- 1980s 27
1980s
27 births
- 2000s 21
2000s
21 births
- 2010s 20
2010s
20 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 96 births (34% of all-time use).
Clete by state
Where Clete concentrates geographically, total births since 1948
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5 | 1.8% |
California share of Clete's total US births 1.8%
5 of 281 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Clete? ▼
Clete has been given to 281 babies in the U.S. since 1948, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2017. 18 babies were born in 1965, its single highest year.
When was Clete most popular? ▼
Clete was most popular in the 1960s decade with 96 total births. The single peak year was 1965.
Where is Clete most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Clete are California (5 births).
How long has the name Clete been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Clete since 1948 -- 70 years through the most recent 2017 data.
What names are similar to Clete? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cleveland, Clement, Cleo, Cletus, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Clete's data
- Clete's decade-level peak was the 1960s (96 total births); usage has since declined to 20 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Cletes (5 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 Clete
Nearby Names Like Clete
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Clete
Cleveland Boy
#6471 21,945 births
Clement Boy
#2211 14,167 births
Cleo Boy
#4710 11,527 births
Cletus Boy
#10969 7,437 births
Cleve Boy
4,506 births
Compare Clete side by side: Clete vs Cleveland Clete vs Clement Clete vs Cleo
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
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, 1948–2017 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Clete: Baby Name Since 1948 - 281 Births, Peak 1965." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/clete. 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 Clete 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.