How Many People Are Named Clarence?
An estimated 94,567 people in the United States have the first name Clarence. It is predominantly male (99.4%). The average bearer is 66 years old, and Clarence peaked in popularity in 1921 with 7,367 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Clarence as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Clarence paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Clarence is overwhelmingly male, 1,859 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 66, Clarence is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1970.
- Clarence has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
94,567
About 1 in 3,624 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.4% confidence
Average Age
66
years old
Peak Year
1921
7,367 births
Total Registered
305,304
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Clarence
Clarence is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 305,304 total births registered, 99.4% were male.
Clarence as a male name
Ranked #1,558 in 2024
111 male births in 2024
Peak: 1921 (7,332 births)
Clarence as a female name
Ranked #13,723 in 1992
5 female births in 1992
Peak: 1928 (48 births)
Clarence: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Clarence span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 66,979 babies were registered. Clarence has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Clarence by Decade
How has Clarence tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 8,777 | 8,760 | 17 | |
| 1890s | 11,949 | 11,901 | 48 | |
| 1900s | 13,651 | 13,573 | 78 | |
| 1910s | 49,468 | 49,196 | 272 | |
| 1920s | 66,979 | 66,574 | 405 | |
| 1930s | 42,959 | 42,677 | 282 | |
| 1940s | 36,402 | 36,197 | 205 | |
| 1950s | 29,667 | 29,486 | 181 | |
| 1960s | 17,664 | 17,502 | 162 | |
| 1970s | 10,792 | 10,667 | 125 | |
| 1980s | 7,438 | 7,364 | 74 | |
| 1990s | 4,549 | 4,539 | 10 | |
| 2000s | 2,591 | 2,591 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 1,794 | 1,794 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 624 | 624 | 0 | |
Clarence by State
Birth registrations for Clarence span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Rhode Island. On average, about 5,219 Clarences were registered per state.
Clarence + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Clarence as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Clarence
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Clarence: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clarence?
We estimate approximately 94,567 people named Clarence are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 3,624 Americans share this first name.
Is Clarence a common name?
Clarence is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 305,304 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Clarence most popular?
Clarence reached peak popularity in 1921, when 7,367 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Clarence is approximately 66 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Clarence a male name?
Clarence is predominantly male. 99.4% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Clarence Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Clarence Smith, Clarence Johnson, Clarence Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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