# Cleo (name)
**Cleo** is a given name used in English, pronounced /ˈkliːoʊ/, that functions as a short form of the Greek names [Cleopatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleopatra), Cleon, and Cleopas and also stands as an independent given name in its own right.[1](https://www.behindthename.com/name/cleo) It is recorded for both feminine and masculine use, though it is now given predominantly to girls.[1](https://www.behindthename.com/name/cleo)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Short form of Cleopatra, Cleon, or Cleopas, all built on the Greek root *kleos*, "glory"[1](https://www.behindthename.com/name/cleo) • [2](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cleopatra) |
| Gender | Feminine and masculine in English usage; the rare male name derives from Cleon and Cleopas[1](https://www.behindthename.com/name/cleo) • [3](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cleo) |
| US popularity, 2025 | Ranked #577 for girls with 534 births; 45,092 recorded US births since 1880[4](https://ninan.org/name/cleo/) |
| Historical peak | #171 for girls in 1907 and #258 for boys in 1915 (Nameberry analysis of SSA data)[5](https://nameberry.com/name/cleo) |
| Global bearers | About 43,054 people, most prevalent in the United States and densest in the Bahamas[6](https://forebears.io/forenames/cleo) |
| England and Wales, 2025 | 423 births, ranking #114[4](https://ninan.org/name/cleo/) |
| Germany | Inside the top 100 girls' names; 35th in Berlin and 156th in Bremen in 2025[7](https://gfds.de/vorname-der-woche-cleo/) |
## Etymology
Cleo is a short form shared by a family of ancient Greek names: Cleopatra, the Athenian statesman Cleon, and the biblical Cleopas, who appears in the [Gospel of Luke](https://www.edgepedia.org/gospel-of-luke).[1](https://www.behindthename.com/name/cleo) • [8](https://babynamealchemy.com/names/cleo) All of them are built on the Greek noun *kleos*, meaning glory or fame of the kind that outlives a person.[8](https://babynamealchemy.com/names/cleo) The full name Cleopatra combines *kleos* with a word for father and means "glory of her father"; it is best known from Cleopatra VII of Egypt (69–30 BCE), the last ruler of the [Ptolemaic dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/ptolemaic-dynasty).[2](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cleopatra)
Because the short form can stand for both a women's name (Cleopatra) and men's names (Cleon, Cleopas), it carries no fixed gender of its own.[8](https://babynamealchemy.com/names/cleo) A closely related form, [Clio](https://www.edgepedia.org/clio), is the traditional Latinized spelling of Kleio, the Greek muse of history, whose name derives from the verb meaning "to tell, glorify, make famous"; Cleo and Clio are pronounced identically in English.[9](https://namefinderhub.com/cleo-name-meaning/) • [10](https://auxiliary.ihist.bas.bg/images/books/VSupplementa_2.pdf)
## Independent use and gender
Cleo began to be used as an independent given name, rather than only as a nickname, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and it was unisex from the start.[8](https://babynamealchemy.com/names/cleo) • [11](https://www.mallowby.com/names/cleo) In the United States it has always skewed female, but around 1900 a boy named Cleo would not have been unusual.[5](https://nameberry.com/name/cleo) As a male name it was well used during the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth centuries, deriving from Cleon or the biblical Cleopas.[5](https://nameberry.com/name/cleo)
Today most people who hold the name have Cleo itself, not a longer form, on their official documents.[8](https://babynamealchemy.com/names/cleo)
## Popularity
**United States.** The name appears in the [Social Security Administration](https://www.edgepedia.org/social-security-administration) data from its beginning in 1880. Its recorded peak was 1920, with 1,399 births named Cleo that year, and it has ranked inside the top 1,000 in 84 years.[4](https://ninan.org/name/cleo/) After a long decline it has revived: in 2025 it ranked #577 for girls with 534 births, and the ten-year count has risen 3.9-fold.[4](https://ninan.org/name/cleo/) A survival-weighted estimate puts about 13,000 living Americans named Cleo, roughly 10,000 women and 3,000 men, with a median age of 52.[4](https://ninan.org/name/cleo/) Recent births concentrate in Utah, at 2.9 times the national rate, followed by Oregon, Washington, and Minnesota.[4](https://ninan.org/name/cleo/)
**Elsewhere.** Forebears counts about 43,054 bearers worldwide, ranking Cleo the 20,928th most common forename; the United States has the most bearers (27,373) and the Bahamas the highest density.[6](https://forebears.io/forenames/cleo) In England and Wales the [Office for National Statistics](https://www.edgepedia.org/office-for-national-statistics) recorded 423 births named Cleo in 2025, ranking it #114.[4](https://ninan.org/name/cleo/) In Germany the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache reports that Cleo has held a place in the top 100 girls' names for several years; in 2025 it was most popular in Berlin (35th) and least in Bremen (156th), while as a boys' name it is comparatively rare.[7](https://gfds.de/vorname-der-woche-cleo/) In Belgium in 2025 the name (as Cleo or Cléo) appeared in the provincial lists of [Luxembourg](https://www.edgepedia.org/luxembourg), Walloon Brabant, West Flanders, East Flanders, Flemish Brabant, Limburg, Liège, Hainaut, Antwerp, and the Brussels-Capital Region.[12](https://www.humanverse.com/name/cleo)
## Notable bearers
- [Cleo Laine](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleo-laine) (born 1927), English jazz singer and actress[12](https://www.humanverse.com/name/cleo)
- Cléo de Mérode (1875–1966), French dancer[12](https://www.humanverse.com/name/cleo)
- Cleo Moore (1924–1973), American actress[12](https://www.humanverse.com/name/cleo)
- Cleo Madison (1883–1964), actress and film director[12](https://www.humanverse.com/name/cleo)
- [Cleo King](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleo-king) (born 1962), American actress[12](https://www.humanverse.com/name/cleo)
- Cleo (born 1983), Polish singer, whose legal name is Joanna Krystyna Klepko[12](https://www.humanverse.com/name/cleo) • [7](https://gfds.de/vorname-der-woche-cleo/)
- Cléo (born 1985), Brazilian association football player[12](https://www.humanverse.com/name/cleo)
- Cléo Pires (born 1982), Brazilian actress[12](https://www.humanverse.com/name/cleo)
## Related and confusable names
Cleo is often confused with Chloe, but the two are not spelling variants: Chloe has a separate Greek origin connected with young green growth or blooming vegetation.[9](https://namefinderhub.com/cleo-name-meaning/) Clio, pronounced the same in English, is the Latinized form of the muse Kleio and carries a more classical, literary association, while Cleo has developed its own modern identity.[9](https://namefinderhub.com/cleo-name-meaning/) Related forms include Clea, Cleona, Cleone, and Cleonie, and the French Cléo.[7](https://gfds.de/vorname-der-woche-cleo/) • [1](https://www.behindthename.com/name/cleo)
## References
1. [Meaning, origin and history of the name Cleo, Behind the Name](https://www.behindthename.com/name/cleo)
2. [Cleopatra, Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cleopatra)
3. [Cleo, Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cleo)
4. [Cleo: how many people are named Cleo, ninan.org (SSA and ONS data)](https://ninan.org/name/cleo/)
5. [Cleo Name Meaning, Origin & Popularity, Nameberry](https://nameberry.com/name/cleo)
6. [Cleo Name Meaning, Origins & Popularity, Forebears](https://forebears.io/forenames/cleo)
7. [Vorname der Woche: Cleo, Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache](https://gfds.de/vorname-der-woche-cleo/)
8. [Cleo baby name meaning, origin and symbolic profile, Baby Name Alchemy](https://babynamealchemy.com/names/cleo)
9. [Cleo Name Meaning, Namefinder Hub](https://namefinderhub.com/cleo-name-meaning/)
10. [Clio and the muse of history, academic supplement (BAS)](https://auxiliary.ihist.bas.bg/images/books/VSupplementa_2.pdf)
11. [Cleo: Meaning, Origin & Popularity, Mallowby Names](https://www.mallowby.com/names/cleo)
12. [Cleo: name popularity, meaning and history, Humanverse](https://www.humanverse.com/name/cleo)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Languages and linguistics › Names and onomastics › Individual given names (by language and gender) › Classical and European names*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license