Cleo
Pronounced K L IY1 OW0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1920
- 145 years in use
- 1 spelling
How popular is Cleo?
Cleo is a name given to both boys and girls, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 45,408 children — the 686th most common girls' name on record.
It peaked in 1920, went quiet for most of a century, and is climbing again. Its best single year was 1920, when 1,060 children were given it.
Clio is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Roughly 25% of children named Cleo are boys, so the split is a real one rather than a rounding error.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Cleo and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Clio
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- K L IY1 OW0
- Stress pattern:
- 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Cleo
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Cleo
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Cleo?
- Cleo ranks 686th among girls' names in US records, with 45,408 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 3,271.
- Is Cleo a unisex name?
- Yes. About 25% of children given the name are boys, which is a genuine split rather than a rounding error.
- When was Cleo most popular?
- 1920, when 1,060 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Cleo spelled?
- Clio. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.