US rank #727 Boys' name Peak 1920 144,635 births

Clyde — #727 US boys' name

144,635 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.

1880s30341890s36251900s45241910s198641920s289571930s224521940s207101950s179071960s90701970s43811980s28121990s16862000s13042010s24912020s1818
#727
of 14,243 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.

What the Data Says About Clyde

The Social Security Administration has registered 144,635 babies named Clyde between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Clyde currently holds the #727 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1920, when 3,069 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Clyde performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 28,957 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Clyde shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in North Carolina, which accounts for 9,149 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Clyde in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Clyde in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 144,635 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Clyde at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

144,635

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1920

3,069 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#727

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Clyde popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1920)
3,069
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1,00001,0002,0003,0004,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 221

Clyde popularity over time — girls

3,932 total births recorded since 1880 (Clyde as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 3,932 births
-50050100150 197719601948193619241912190018881880 13

Clyde by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
28,957 births that decade — 20% of Clyde's all-time total
1880s30341890s36251900s45241910s198641920s289571930s224521940s207101950s179071960s90701970s43811980s28121990s16862000s13042010s24912020s1818

Clyde by state

Where Clyde concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Clyde
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
9,149 6.3%
#2 Texas
8,922 6.2%
#3 Pennsylvania
7,539 5.2%
#4 Ohio
6,355 4.4%
#5 Tennessee
6,316 4.4%
#6 Virginia
5,437 3.8%
#7 Kentucky
5,237 3.6%
#8 California
5,120 3.5%
North Carolina share of Clyde's total US births 6.3%
Even split

9,149 of 144,635 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?
144,635 babies have been named Clyde since 1880. It currently ranks #727 among boys. The peak year 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 (9,149 births), Texas (8,922 births), Pennsylvania (7,539 births).
How long has the name Clyde been used?
Clyde has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.