Holding steady.
Popularity of Clell since 1884
Babies named Clell per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1924, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Clell's real moment was 1899.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 11 |
| 1890s | 28 |
| 1900s | 37 |
| 1910s | 232 |
| 1920s | 327 |
| 1930s | 226 |
| 1940s | 145 |
| 1950s | 101 |
| 1960s | 75 |
| 1970s | 26 |
| 1980s | 13 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Clell is a name with deep Scottish roots, originally a surname derived from the Lanarkshire place Clelland. As a first name, it saw a brief period of use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States, with its peak occurring in 1899. The name did not gain widespread popularity and has since become quite rare; the latest available data from 2025 does not record any newborns with the name. Clell is an example of a surname used as a given name, a trend that was common in that era. Its trajectory over the decades has been stable at near-zero usage. While it never appeared in the top 1000 names, its presence in historical records reflects the regional and familial naming practices of the time.
Clell is a given name derived from the Scottish surname Clelland, which originates from the lands of Clelland in Lanarkshire. The surname itself is locational, referring to the area near Motherwell. As a first name, Clell emerged in the late 19th century, particularly in the United States, likely as a diminutive or independent use of the surname. It never reached widespread popularity but saw modest use in the 1880s and 1890s, with a peak in 1899.
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Clellan, Clelland
Sibling names for Clell
Names that share Clell's style, for a brother or sister.
