Cleo
Cleo is a given name, derived from the name Clio in Greek mythology.
- English
- French
Meaning & Origin of Cleo
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Cleo is a given name, derived from the name Clio in Greek mythology.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- French
The Story of Cleo
As a girl name
Cleo first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1880, with 17 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1920: 1,049 births, good for #191 nationwide. About 24% of every Cleo on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Cleo ranks #550 for girls with 556 births, rising sharply (+93% over the past five years). All told, over 34K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Cleo on the record books as a boy name in 1880, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 363 Cleos were born — ranking #279 that year. About 26% of every Cleo on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Cleo ranks #4,330 for boys with 24 births, rising sharply (+21% over the past five years). All told, over 12K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Cleo
Phonetically similar names — useful when Cleo is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cleo
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Is Cleo a unisex name?
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About the name Cleo
Cleo is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 34K births in the dataset. Cleo's peak popularity came in 1920 when it ranked #171. Use the chart and map above to compare Cleo's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1920 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.