Holding steady.
Popularity of Cleve since 1882
Babies named Cleve per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1951, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Cleve's real moment was 1885.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 295 |
| 1890s | 219 |
| 1900s | 171 |
| 1910s | 484 |
| 1920s | 568 |
| 1930s | 497 |
| 1940s | 553 |
| 1950s | 682 |
| 1960s | 400 |
| 1970s | 294 |
| 1980s | 185 |
| 1990s | 104 |
| 2000s | 44 |
| 2010s | 10 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Cleve is a concise, vintage masculine name that enjoyed a modest vogue in the late 19th century, particularly in the 1880s when it reached its peak year in 1885. The name has maintained a remarkably stable trajectory since then, neither disappearing nor surging. It functions as a standalone short form of Cleveland, an English surname-turned-place-name rooted in Old English 'clif' meaning cliff. Cleve never appeared among the top 1000 names in later decades, reflecting its consistent but niche usage.
Cleve originated as a short form of the surname and place name Cleveland, which derives from Old English 'clif' (cliff, bank) and 'land'. As a given name, it came into occasional use in the late 19th century, possibly influenced by U.S. President Grover Cleveland (whose middle name was Cleveland, though he was rarely called that). It saw a minor peak in the 1880s and has remained in steady but infrequent use since.
Sibling names for Cleve
Names that share Cleve's style, for a brother or sister.
