Given name & surname
Clever
“one who is quick-witted and smart”·“one who is smart”
Clever is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “one who is quick-witted and smart” (American) and “one who is smart” (American). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “one who is quick-witted and smart” (American) and “one who is smart” (American). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2003. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Clever through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 141
- 124 boys · 17 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 15 babies
- 2025
- 15
- #9,592 for girls · #12,406 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +29%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 9,592 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. It also appeared in 5 birth records for boys in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 426 as a first name in 2020; 1,480 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.
Clever’s family of names
Clever has a related form in Clevar. Clever has a related form in Clevir. Clever has a related form in Clevor.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Clever, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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