Holding steady, #13,208 for girls today.
Popularity of Clary since 1915
Babies named Clary per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2017, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Clary's real moment was 1923.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 11 | 8 |
| 1920s | 24 | 28 |
| 1930s | 12 | 24 |
| 1940s | 28 | 51 |
| 1950s | 17 | 36 |
| 1960s | 6 | 25 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 |
| 1980s | 11 | 5 |
| 1990s | 11 | 0 |
| 2000s | 34 | 0 |
| 2010s | 100 | 0 |
| 2020s | 54 | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Clary is a delicate, old-fashioned name that saw its peak usage in the 1920s, ranking 13,208 in 2025 with approximately 1 in 267,878 newborn girls receiving the name. Its trajectory has been stable over recent years, never reaching widespread popularity but maintaining a quiet presence. The name first appeared in U.S. records in 1917, and its peak year was 1923, reflecting a brief period of favor during an era when many Claire variants were fashionable.
Clary is a diminutive or variant of Claire, which derives from the Latin 'Clara' (feminine form of 'clarus', meaning 'bright, clear, famous'). The name Claire was popularized by Saint Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), and its variants like Clarice, Clarissa, and Clary emerged in medieval and later English usage. Clary has occasionally been used as a given name in its own right, particularly in the early 20th century.
“Clary” around the world
Where Clary lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
5
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Sibling names for Clary
Names that share Clary's style, for a brother or sister.
