Total births
144,994
Boys' name · since 1880
Clyde
144,994 babies named Clyde in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #728
- among boys today
- 144,994
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other boys
Clyde currently ranks #728 among boys' names in America, with 144,994 babies recorded since 1880.
Clyde has 144,994 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #728 as of the latest data, more common than 95% 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 1880 to 2025.
- #728 among boys today
- 144,994 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 95% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Clyde is currently the #728 boys' name in America, more common than 95% of boys - 144,994 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #728
- among boys today
- 144,994
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other boys
Clyde vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#728
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 95% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Clyde was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
3,069 babies were named Clyde in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
How Clyde compares
144,994 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Clyde's all-time total is 395x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Clyde | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 144,994 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,069 | 23 | 22,252 |
Clyde's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Clyde's full recorded timeline at 1953, 25% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 75% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2002, with just 112 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1920 peak of 3,069 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Clyde at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1920
Current rank
#728
Active since
1880
Clyde popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 3,069
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Clyde popularity over time - girls
3,932 total births recorded since 1880 (Clyde as girls' name)
Clyde by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Clyde's strongest decade.
28,957 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Clyde births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,034
1880s
3,034 births
- 1890s 3,625
1890s
3,625 births
- 1900s 4,524
1900s
4,524 births
- 1910s
1910s
19,864 births
- 1920s
1920s
28,957 births
- 1930s
1930s
22,452 births
- 1940s
1940s
20,710 births
- 1950s
1950s
17,906 births
- 1960s 9,071
1960s
9,071 births
- 1970s 4,381
1970s
4,381 births
- 1980s 2,812
1980s
2,812 births
- 1990s 1,686
1990s
1,686 births
- 2000s 1,304
2000s
1,304 births
- 2010s 2,493
2010s
2,493 births
- 2020s 2,175
2020s
2,175 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 28,957 births (20% of all-time use).
How Clyde 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 Clyde's total volume
Clyde vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Clyde by state
Where Clyde concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 9,155 | 6.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 8,959 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 7,552 | 5.2% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 6,371 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Tennessee | | 6,328 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 5,445 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Kentucky | | 5,237 | 3.6% |
| #8 | California | | 5,153 | 3.6% |
North Carolina share of Clyde's total US births 6.3%
Even split
9,155 of 144,994 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Clyde appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Clyde? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 144,994 babies named Clyde. Today it holds rank #728 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 3,069 births.
When was Clyde most popular? ▼
Clyde was most popular in the 1920s decade with 28,957 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Clyde most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Clyde are North Carolina (9,155 births), Texas (8,959 births), Pennsylvania (7,552 births).
How long has the name Clyde been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Clyde since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Clyde? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Clydell, Clydie, Clyne, Clynton, and 1 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Clyde's data
- Clyde's decade-level peak was the 1920s (28,957 total births); usage has since declined to 2,175 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Clydes (9,155 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina 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 Clyde
Nearby Names Like Clyde
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Clyde
Clydell Boy
137 births
Clydie Boy
22 births
Clyne Boy
18 births
Clynton Boy
15 births
Clynt Boy
5 births
Compare Clyde side by side: Clyde vs Clydell Clyde vs Clydie Clyde vs Clyne
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Clyde
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Clyde: #728 Boys' Name - 144,994 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/clyde. 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 Clyde 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.