Given name & surname

Clio

“famous”

Clio is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek. It is used in English and Italian.

Original Ancient GreekΚλειώ

Meaning & origin

What it means

Clio goes back to Latin Clio, meaning “famous.”

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.

How it developed

In Italian usage, Clio developed from Κλειώ.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1894. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Clio through the years

Babies since 1880
881
25 boys · 856 girls
Most popular year
2015
37 babies
2025
25
#5,127 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
+7%
Steady
Boys Girls
01020301900192019401960198020002025Highest share 1906Boys 0.0Girls 16
Clio in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1894–2025, per million births of each sex. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inNew York
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: New York (5).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 25 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 5,127 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 7.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 37 in 2015. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 668 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.

Clio’s family of names

In Italian usage, Clio developed from the Ancient Greek form Κλειώ. In English usage, Clio has a related form in Cleo. In English usage, Clio was borrowed from the Ancient Greek form Κλειώ.

Walk Clio’s family in the name graph

ClioClyoCleoKleioKlioΚλειώ

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 1

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Spellings & scripts 1

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Across languages 3

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

See also 2

Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.

Appears in

Similar names

If you love Clio, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Greek · Modern

Yalena

“the shining light”

15Very rareCooling

>99% girls

Greek · Modern

Pallas

“to poise, sway, or swing”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Greek · Modern

Defne

“laurel”

27RareEasing

>99% girls

Greek · Modern

Eirini

“peace”

12Very rareSteady

>99% girls

Greek

Echo

“sound returned”

42UncommonRising

23% boys · 77% girls

Greek · Modern

Theia

“a goddess”

39RareSteady

>99% girls

Greek · Modern

Ismene

Ismene is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek.

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Greek · Modern

Siren

Siren is a surname from Swedish. It is used in Finnish.

17Very rareRising

4% boys · 96% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Clio’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Clio

A sister for Clio