Clarence

“From the town of Clare, via the royal title Duke of Clarence” — English, from the placename Clare origin

Boy's name · #1500 in the US (2025) · Heirloom

Clarence belongs to an older America first — it reached #17 back in 1885 — yet it still appears in today's records at #1500. About 304,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Around the world: about 1 in 6,100 boys in France (2025) · about 1 in 8,800 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 13 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Clarences

Clarence Seedorf — Dutch association football player and manager
Clarence Darrow — American lawyer and politician (1857–1938)
Clarence Thomas — Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1991
Clarence Brown — American film director (1890–1987)
Clarence Clemons — American saxophonist (1942–2011)

In stories & tradition

Clarence (Eustace Scrubb) — The Voyage of the Dawn Treader · The Silver Chair
Clarence Boddicker — RoboCop
Clarence Odbody — It's a Wonderful Life · Clarence

What Clarences become

Among 1,233 notable people named Clarence:

Business leaders appear 1.51× more often than among typical names — e.g. Clarence Dillon, American banker.

Similar names: Ernest · Clark · Laurence · Luther · Clifford · Terrence

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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