Given name & surname
Clea
“a father's glory; of the royal family”
Clea is a variant of Cleopatra. One Greek interpretation is “a father's glory; of the royal family.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Clea is a variant of Cleopatra. One Greek interpretation is “a father's glory; of the royal family.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Clea is a variant of Cleopatra. An origin associated with Cleopatra is Greek.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Clea through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 825
- 10 boys · 815 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 26 babies
- 2025
- 20
- #5,961 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +64%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 20 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 5,961 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 64.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 717 as a first name in 2020; 204 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Clea’s family of names
Clea has a related form in Cleopatra. In English usage, Clea has a conventional equivalent in the French form Cléa.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Clea
- Clea DuVallAmerican actressborn 1977
- Clea LewisAmerican actressborn 1965
- Clea BadaroEgyptian artist (1913–1968)
- Clea Hoytecricketerborn 1981
- Clea KoffAmerican anthropologist and authorborn 1972
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Clea, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Olena
“the shining light”
>99% girls
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“shining light”
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Ellinor
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“a queenly woman”
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Eleni
“the shining light” · “shining light”
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Emaline
Emaline is a variant of Emma. Emma’s shared Germanic element carries the sense “entire” or “whole.”
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Emiline
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Lareine
“the queen; one born to royalty”
>99% girls