Total births
4,506
Boys' name · since 1882
Cleve
4,506 babies named Cleve in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1951. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 4,506
- total births
- 1882–2013
- years on record
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 15%
- born in that decade
Cleve sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 4,506 recorded since 1882.
Cleve has 4,506 recorded births among boys since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2013.
- 4,506 total births
- 1882–2013 years on record
- 1950s peak decade
- 15% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
4,506 boys have been named Cleve since 1882, peaking in the 1950s, last recorded in 2013.
- 4,506
- total births
- 1882–2013
- years on record
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 15%
- born in that decade
1950s
Peak decade
15% of everyone ever named Cleve was born in this single decade.
1951
Single peak year
83 babies were named Cleve in 1951 - its busiest year on record.
Cleve's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cleve splits its recorded history at 1945: 45% of all births land in the more recent half, 55% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1997 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1951 peak of 83 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cleve at a glance
Last recorded 2013Peak year
1951
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1882
Cleve popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2013
- Peak year (1951)
- 83
- Annual births at peak, across 132 years of records
Cleve popularity over time - girls
23 total births recorded since 1918 (Cleve as girls' name)
Cleve by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Cleve's strongest decade.
682 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Cleve births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
295 births
- 1890s 219
1890s
219 births
- 1900s 171
1900s
171 births
- 1910s
1910s
484 births
- 1920s
1920s
568 births
- 1930s
1930s
497 births
- 1940s
1940s
553 births
- 1950s
1950s
682 births
- 1960s
1960s
400 births
- 1970s
1970s
294 births
- 1980s 185
1980s
185 births
- 1990s 104
1990s
104 births
- 2000s 44
2000s
44 births
- 2010s 10
2010s
10 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 682 births (15% of all-time use).
How Cleve 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 Cleve's total volume
Cleve vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Cleve by state
Where Cleve concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Georgia | | 143 | 3.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 143 | 3.2% |
| #3 | Alabama | | 136 | 3.0% |
| #4 | California | | 61 | 1.4% |
| #5 | Mississippi | | 61 | 1.4% |
| #6 | Louisiana | | 59 | 1.3% |
| #7 | South Carolina | | 39 | 0.9% |
| #8 | Arkansas | | 34 | 0.8% |
Georgia share of Cleve's total US births 3.2%
Even split
143 of 4,506 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 17 reporting states.
Cleve appears in 17 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cleve? ▼
Cleve has been given to 4,506 babies in the U.S. since 1882, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2013. 83 babies were born in 1951, its single highest year.
When was Cleve most popular? ▼
Cleve was most popular in the 1950s decade with 682 total births. The single peak year was 1951.
Where is Cleve most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cleve are Georgia (143 births), Texas (143 births), Alabama (136 births).
How long has the name Cleve been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Cleve since 1882 -- 132 years through the most recent 2013 data.
What names are similar to Cleve? ▼
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 Cleve's data
- Cleve's decade-level peak was the 1950s (682 total births); usage has since declined to 10 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Georgia records the most Cleves (143 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Georgia 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 Cleve
Nearby Names Like Cleve
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cleve
Cleveland Boy
#6471 21,945 births
Clement Boy
#2211 14,167 births
Cleo Boy
#4710 11,527 births
Cletus Boy
#10969 7,437 births
Clem Boy
4,275 births
Compare Cleve side by side: Cleve vs Cleveland Cleve vs Clement Cleve vs Cleo
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
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, 1882–2013 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cleve: Baby Name Since 1882 - 4,506 Births, Peak 1951." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cleve. 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 Cleve 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.