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.
- #1,909 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 4,506
- born since 1882
- 1950s
- peak 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.
- #1,909 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 4,506 born since 1882
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cleve ranks #1,909 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 4,506 born since 1882, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1,909 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 4,506
- born since 1882
- 1950s
- peak decade
Cleve's 4,506 recorded births place it above 95.79% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
17 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Georgia.
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 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
1950s is the heaviest window (682 births, 15% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Cleve sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cleve most popular? ▼
Where is Cleve most popular? ▼
How long has the name Cleve been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cleve? ▼
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
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
Compare Cleve side by side: Cleve vs Cleveland Cleve vs Clement Cleve vs Cleo
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cleve: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1951)
Similar record span (~131 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, 1882–2013 (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 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 August 2026.