NameCensus.
Very Rare

Cleburn

Derived from an English place name meaning "clear stream".

Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Cleburn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cleburn today is around 93 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cleburn births was 1922 (11 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Cleburn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.

Key insights

  • The typical person named Cleburn is about 93 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Cleburns were born before 1943.
  • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cleburn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.

People living today

12

~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans

Peak year

1922

11 babies that year

Average age

93

years old

1946 SSA rank

#3,231

Tracked since 1914

Popularity

Cleburn: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Cleburn from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 56 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.

Babies born per year

0368111915192019251930193519401945

Decades

Cleburn by decade

The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cleburn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1910s35035
1920s56056
1930s20020
1940s13013

Geography

Where Cleburns live

Origin

Meaning and history of Cleburn

Cleburn is a unique given name with an intriguing history that spans across various cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English language, where it was derived from two distinct words: "clæne," meaning "clean" or "pure," and "burna," referring to a stream or brook. This combination suggests that the name Cleburn may have initially been associated with a clean or pure body of water.

In the early medieval period, the name Cleburn was primarily found in parts of England, particularly in regions where Old English was spoken. It gained popularity among Anglo-Saxon communities, possibly due to their reverence for nature and the symbolic significance of water in their belief systems.

As time passed, the name Cleburn evolved and took on various spellings, such as Cleburn, Clebern, and Clebburn, reflecting the linguistic shifts and regional variations within the English language. While it remained relatively uncommon, the name can be found scattered throughout historical records and literature from the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Cleburn was a monk who lived in the 9th century. His name appeared in the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written by the Venerable Bede, a renowned scholar and historian of that era. Another notable figure was Cleburn of Wessex, a nobleman who lived during the reign of King Alfred the Great in the late 9th century.

As the centuries progressed, the name Cleburn continued to be used, albeit infrequently. In the 13th century, a Cleburn of Rothwell was mentioned in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a survey of landholdings commissioned by King Edward I. During the Renaissance period, a poet named Cleburn Blackwood gained recognition for his works celebrating nature and the beauty of the English countryside.

In the 17th century, Cleburn Harrington, a prominent merchant from Bristol, England, made a significant contribution to the city's economic development through his trading ventures. Another notable figure was Cleburn Wilkinson, a member of the English Parliament during the reign of King Charles II.

As the name Cleburn transcended into the modern era, it maintained its uniqueness and remained relatively uncommon. However, a few individuals have carried this name and left their mark on various fields. In the 19th century, Cleburn Tompkins was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London. More recently, Cleburn Stevenson, a celebrated author and playwright from the early 20th century, gained recognition for his thought-provoking works exploring societal issues.

While the name Cleburn may not be as widespread as some other names, its rich history and unique origins have imbued it with a sense of distinctiveness and a connection to the natural world. Its journey through time serves as a testament to the enduring influence of language and cultural traditions on the naming practices of societies across the ages.

People

Cleburn + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Cleburn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Related

Other names starting with C

Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.

FAQ

Cleburn: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Cleburn?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cleburn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 28,562,862 US residents.

Is Cleburn a common name?

We classify Cleburn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 124 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Cleburn most popular?

The single biggest year for Cleburn was 1922, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cleburn is about 93 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

What does the SSA popularity chart show?

The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cleburn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Cleburn a male name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cleburn in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.

Is Cleburn still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Cleburn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.

Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?

Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cleburn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.

Where does this data come from?

First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.

How common is the name Cleburn?

For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Cleburn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.

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Cleburn

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