Total births
7,437
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.
- #10969
- among boys today
- 7,437
- born since 1886
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other boys
7,437 babies have been named Cletus since 1886, making it today's #10969 boys' name.
Cletus has 7,437 recorded births among boys since 1886, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #10969 as of the latest data, more common than 23% 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.
- #10969 among boys today
- 7,437 born since 1886
- 1920s peak decade
- 23% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cletus is currently the #10969 boys' name in America, more common than 23% of boys - 7,437 born since 1886, peaking in the 1920s.
- #10969
- among boys today
- 7,437
- born since 1886
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other boys
Cletus vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#10969
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 23% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Cletus was born in this single decade.
1922
Single peak year
233 babies were named Cletus in 1922 - its busiest year on record.
How Cletus compares
7,437 Top 10% higher than 90% of 14,294 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 (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,437 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 233 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1922
Current rank
#10,969
Active since
1886
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
Ohio share of Cletus's total US births 7.7%
Even split
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? ▼
7,437 babies have been named Cletus since 1886. It currently ranks #10969 among boys. The peak year was 1922 with 233 births.
When was Cletus most popular? ▼
Cletus was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,902 total births. The single peak year was 1922.
Where is Cletus most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cletus are Ohio (575 births), Illinois (517 births), Iowa (465 births).
How long has the name Cletus been used? ▼
Cletus has been recorded in Social Security data since 1886, spanning 140 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Cletus? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cleveland, Clement, Cleo, Cleve, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- 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 Cletus
Nearby Names Like Cletus
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cletus
Cleveland Boy
#6471 21,945 births
Clement Boy
#2211 14,167 births
Cleo Boy
#4710 11,527 births
Cleve Boy
4,506 births
Clem Boy
4,275 births
Compare Cletus side by side: Cletus vs Cleveland Cletus vs Clement Cletus vs Cleo
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cletus
Acey #10968
441 births · Peak 1924
Talmadge #10970
5,635 births · Peak 1933
Pratt #10967
118 births · Peak 2019
Liston #10971
930 births · Peak 1923
Rob #10966
8,775 births · Peak 1963
Maury #10972
2,512 births · Peak 1963
Prentice #10965
3,929 births · Peak 1939
Auburn #10973
728 births · Peak 1925
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cletus: #10969 Boys' Name - 7,437 Births, Peak 1922." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cletus. 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 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 June 2026.