Boys' name · since 1886
Cletus
Since 1886, U.S. Social Security records show 7,437 babies named Cletus, peaking in 1922. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,424 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,260 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,437
- born since 1886
- 1920s
- peak decade
7,437 babies have been named Cletus since 1886, making it today's #8260 boys' name.
Cletus has 7,437 recorded births among boys since 1886, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8260 as of the latest data, more common than 41% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1886 to 2025.
- #1,424 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #8,260 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 7,437 born since 1886
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cletus ranks #1,424 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,260 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 7,437 born since 1886, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,424 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,260 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,437
- born since 1886
- 1920s
- peak decade
Cletus's 7,437 recorded births place it above 96.86% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
23 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Ohio.
How Cletus compares
7,437 Top 10% higher than 90% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Cletus's all-time total is 20x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cletus | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,437 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 233 | 34 | 22,252 |
Cletus's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cletus splits its recorded history at 1955: 20% of all births land in the more recent half, 80% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1886 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1922 peak of 233 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cletus popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1886–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 233
- Annual births at peak, across 140 years of records
Cletus popularity over time - girls
272 total births recorded since 1898 (Cletus as girls' name)
Cletus by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (1,902 births, 26% of the file).
1920s was Cletus's strongest decade.
1,902 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Cletus births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 10
1880s
10 births
- 1890s 80
1890s
80 births
- 1900s 185
1900s
185 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,190 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,902 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,303 births
- 1940s
1940s
878 births
- 1950s 661
1950s
661 births
- 1960s 536
1960s
536 births
- 1970s 251
1970s
251 births
- 1980s 189
1980s
189 births
- 1990s 85
1990s
85 births
- 2000s 64
2000s
64 births
- 2010s 61
2010s
61 births
- 2020s 42
2020s
42 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,902 births (26% of all-time use).
How Cletus compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Cletus's total volume
Cletus by state
Where Cletus concentrates geographically, total births since 1886
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ohio | | 575 | 7.7% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 517 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Iowa | | 465 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Missouri | | 442 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 440 | 5.9% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 373 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Wisconsin | | 315 | 4.2% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 273 | 3.7% |
575 of 7,437 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 23 reporting states.
Cletus appears in 23 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cletus? ▼
Where does Cletus sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cletus most popular? ▼
Where is Cletus most popular? ▼
How long has the name Cletus been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cletus? ▼
What to do with Cletus's data
- Cletus's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,902 total births); usage has since declined to 42 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Ohio records the most Cletuss (575 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Ohio names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cletus
Nearby Names Like Cletus
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cletus
Compare Cletus side by side: Cletus vs Cleveland Cletus vs Clement Cletus vs Cleo
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cletus
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cletus: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1922)
Similar record span (~139 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1886–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Cletus 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 August 2026.