Cleve
Cleve is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Cleve Benedict, American politician Cleve Bryant (1947–2023), American college football quarterback, athletics administrator and former head coach at Ohio University Cleve Cartmill (1908–1964), American science fiction and fantasy writer, best remembered for a short story investigated by the FBI Cleve Gray (1918–2004), American abstract…
- English
Meaning & Origin of Cleve
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Cleve is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Cleve Benedict, American politician Cleve Bryant (1947–2023), American college football quarterback, athletics administrator and former head coach at Ohio University Cleve Cartmill (1908–1964), American science fiction and fantasy writer, best remembered for a short story investigated by the FBI Cleve Gray (1918–2004), American abstract…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Cleve
American parents first put Cleve on the record books as a baby boy name in 1882, with 13 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1951, when 83 Cleves were born — ranking #766 that year. Cleve last appeared in the published SSA data in 2013, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 5K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Cleve
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Cleve. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Cleve
Phonetically similar names — useful when Cleve 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 Cleve
What does the name Cleve mean?
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How popular is Cleve in 2026?
When was Cleve most popular?
In which U.S. states is Cleve most popular?
Is Cleve a unisex name?
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What are nicknames or variants of Cleve?
About the name Cleve
Cleve is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1882 and has accumulated 5K births in the dataset. Cleve's peak popularity came in 1951 when it ranked #766. Use the chart and map above to compare Cleve's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1951 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.