Given name & surname
Cleto
“called on, invoked”·“irreproachable”
Cleto is a short form of Anacleto. Interpretations include “called on, invoked” (Late Latin) and “irreproachable” (Late Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Cleto is a short form of Anacleto. Interpretations include “called on, invoked” (Late Latin) and “irreproachable” (Late Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Cleto is a short form of Anacleto. An origin associated with Anacleto is Late Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Italian usage, Cleto is an affectionate form of Anacleto. Cleto is a short form of Anacleto.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Cleto through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 180
- 180 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1928
- 11 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2004. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 470 as a first name in 2020; 627 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.
Cleto’s family of names
In Italian usage, Cleto is an affectionate form of Anacleto. Cleto is a short form of Anacleto.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Cleto
- Cleto González VíquezPresident of Costa Rica (1858-1937)
- Cleto MauleItalian road bicycle racer (1931–2013)
- Cleto BellucciItalian Roman Catholic Bishop (1921-2013)
- Cleto PavanettoItalian Salesian priest, latinist and hellenist (1931-2021)
- Cleto Escobedo IIIAmerican bandleader (1966–2025)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Cleto, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“resembling a pearl”
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Clifford
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Elwyn
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Elson
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>99% boys