Given name & surname
Cleo
“a father's glory; of the royal family”
In English use, Cleo is a short form of Cleopatra. One Greek interpretation is “a father's glory; of the royal family.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Cleo is a short form of Cleopatra. One Greek interpretation is “a father's glory; of the royal family.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Cleo has a related form in Clio. An origin associated with Clio is Greek.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Cleo is used as a shortened form of Cleopatra.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Cleo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 45,092
- 11,527 boys · 33,565 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 1,399 babies
- 2025
- 534
- #577 for girls · #5,245 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +103%
- Rising fast
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 5% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 516 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 577 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 110.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,049 in 1920. It also appeared in 18 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (89). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,057 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cleo’s family of names
Cleo is a short form of Cleopatra. In English usage, Cleo has a related form in Clio. Cleo has a related form in Cleopatra.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Cleo
- Cleo LaineEnglish jazz singer and actress (1927–2025)
- Cléo PiresBrazilian actressborn 1982
- Cleo MooreAmerican actress (1924–1973)
- Cleo KingAmerican actressborn 1962
- Cleo Madisonactress and film director (1883-1964)
- Cleo MasseyAustralian actressborn 1993
- Cleo BrownAmerican singer (1909–1995)
- Cleo FieldsAmerican politician (born 1962)
- Cleo RidgelyAmerican actress (1893-1962)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Cleo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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