Girl's name
Cleo
Say it KLEE-oh
Greek origin 2 syllables
Where Cleo is loved, common and rare
Common across five German cities, Sweden and one more place. Rare in the UK, France, Switzerland and nine more places.
1 in 599 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
Cologne 26thBerlin 38thMunich 44th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 21 of the 40 official lists, among them Cologne (26th), Berlin (38th) and Munich (44th).
Show all 21 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cologne city | 26th 2023 | 31 | about 1 in 198 |
| Berlin city | 38th 2023 | 74 | about 1 in 196 |
| Munich city | 44th 2025 | 27 | about 1 in 155 |
| Sweden | 70th 2025 | 150 | about 1 in 268 |
| Victoria state | 92nd 2025 | 69 | rank only |
| England and Wales | 114th 2025 | 423 | 1 in 599 |
| France as Cléo | 129th 2025 | 410 | 1 in 700 |
| Switzerland | 148th 2025 | 75 | 1 in 453 |
| Austria | 163rd 2025 | 37 | 1 in 965 |
| The Netherlands | 177th 2025 | 85 | about 1 in 718 |
| Scotland | 183rd 2025 | 22 | 1 in 813 |
| Quebec province | 187th 2025 | 31 | about 1 in 839 |
| British Columbia province | 203rd 2023 | 15 | about 1 in 797 |
| Northern Ireland | 259th 2025 | 6 | 1 in 1,214 |
| Ireland | 273rd 2025 | 15 | 1 in 1,408 |
| Catalonia region | 463rd 2025 | 6 | 1 in 3,212 |
| Italy | 671st 2024 | 16 | 1 in 11,198 |
| Ontario province | 823rd 2024 | 14 | about 1 in 3,890 |
| Leipzig city | 60th 2025 | 9 | about 1 in 292 |
| Bonn city | 76th 2025 | 8 | about 1 in 377 |
| Rostock city | 166th 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 985 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Registry of BDM Victoria (DataVic) (Victoria); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock). How we count, and every source
About the name
Cleo began as a shortened form of Cleopatra, or as a variant of Clio, the Muse of history in Greek mythology; both lead back to Ancient Greek. As a rare boys' name it comes instead from Greek names such as Cleon and Cleopas. No separate meaning is attested for Cleo itself.
Read the restShow less
Said KLEE-oh, it has two syllables and a bright, open ending. Cléo is the French spelling, and Clio, Clea and the full Cleopatra are close relatives.
Cleo is on the rise. It is used across Victoria, England and Wales, Scotland, Sweden, France and Switzerland, and it is climbing in most of the places where it appears while falling in almost none. In France it reached its highest point in 2025, and in Sweden and Victoria it is a top-100 name, so its short, classical sound is clearly in step with current taste.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- KLEE-oh, 2 syllables
- Origin
- Greek
- Other spellings
- Cloe
- Clio
- Cleomara
- Cleopatra
- Clo
- Clea
Counted together here: Cléo.
Etymology
Shortened from Cleopatra or a variant of Clio; from Ancient Greek.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 14 of 19 regions, falling in 1.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 227 | 187 | 192 | 191 | 180 | 138 | 132 | 135 | 129 | 114 |
| Scotland | 383 | 247 | 301 | 206 | 203 | 191 | 173 | 223 | 230 | 183 |
| Northern Ireland | 306 | 355 | 361 | 281 | 237 | 418 | 209 | 259 | ||
| Ireland | 390 | 233 | 474 | 347 | 375 | 390 | 304 | 339 | 209 | 273 |
| Ontario | 1206 | 693 | 698 | 780 | 847 | 834 | 547 | 823 | ||
| British Columbia | 455 | 596 | 415 | 586 | 272 | 352 | 646 | 203 | ||
| New South Wales | 87 | |||||||||
| Victoria | 91 | 81 | 87 | 92 | ||||||
| South Australia | 518 | 164 | ||||||||
| New Zealand | 91 | 82 | ||||||||
| Quebec | 707 | 559 | 503 | 526 | 360 | 301 | 210 | 287 | 187 | |
| France | 298 | 305 | 257 | 280 | 274 | 221 | 175 | 162 | 153 | 129 |
| The Netherlands | 749 | 487 | 765 | 611 | 254 | 262 | 273 | 231 | 177 | |
| Austria | 1054 | 1320 | 562 | 541 | 363 | 379 | 292 | 196 | 316 | 163 |
| Switzerland | 733 | 985 | 603 | 490 | 392 | 235 | 255 | 265 | 217 | 148 |
| Berlin | 254 | 263 | 130 | 117 | 86 | 56 | 50 | 38 | ||
| Munich | 185 | 129 | 126 | 134 | 81 | 55 | 38 | 63 | 44 | |
| Cologne | 316 | 190 | 211 | 174 | 121 | 88 | 29 | 26 | ||
| Bonn | 226 | 158 | 69 | 186 | 117 | 176 | 98 | 76 | ||
| Leipzig | 375 | 113 | 148 | 186 | 265 | 98 | 98 | 78 | 143 | 60 |
| Rostock | 283 | 202 | 97 | 202 | 133 | 63 | 68 | 99 | 166 | |
| Sweden | 81 | 82 | 71 | 71 | 45 | 50 | 54 | 52 | 77 | 70 |
| Catalonia | 617 | 407 | 443 | 541 | 433 | 365 | 330 | 463 | ||
| Italy | 725 | 841 | 617 | 671 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 114 | 423 | 167.0 |
| 2024 | 129 | 376 | 145.7 |
| 2023 | 135 | 370 | 144.2 |
| 2022 | 132 | 383 | 145.3 |
| 2021 | 138 | 359 | 131.0 |
| 2020 | 180 | 277 | 103.2 |
| 2019 | 191 | 257 | 91.8 |
| 2018 | 192 | 277 | 96.1 |
| 2017 | 187 | 285 | 95.3 |
| 2016 | 227 | 228 | 74.2 |
| 2015 | 242 | 206 | 66.9 |
| 2014 | 403 | 108 | 35.2 |
| 2013 | 358 | 127 | 41.2 |
| 2012 | 468 | 96 | 29.8 |
| 2011 | 486 | 88 | 27.4 |
| 2010 | 452 | 92 | 28.7 |
| 2009 | 471 | 87 | 27.8 |
| 2008 | 475 | 84 | 26.6 |
| 2007 | 496 | 78 | 25.5 |
| 2006 | 564 | 62 | 20.7 |
| 2005 | 545 | 61 | 21.2 |
| 2004 | 483 | 70 | 24.5 |
| 2003 | 435 | 80 | 28.7 |
| 2002 | 463 | 67 | 25.1 |
| 2001 | 372 | 87 | 32.5 |
| 2000 | 527 | 53 | 19.4 |
| 1999 | 703 | 33 | 11.7 |
| 1998 | 589 | 44 | 15.2 |
| 1997 | 536 | 49 | 16.7 |
| 1996 | 671 | 35 | 11.8 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Cleo in France since 1925 were born in or after 2013. First recorded in 1977. Her peak year there: 2025, at 143.0 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Cleo per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Cleo
1 in 993 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Cleo.
1 in 2,556 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Cleo.
1 in 438 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Cleo.
1 in 743 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Cleo.
1 in 307 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Cleo.
1 in 688 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Cleo.
1 in 658 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Cleo.
1 in 587 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Cleo.
1 in 778 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Cleo.
1 in 2,508 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Cleo.
Middle names for Cleo
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Cleo Grace
2-1 beats · initials CG
Changes the beat after Cleo: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Cleo Olivia
2-4 beats · initials CO · Cleo slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Cleo: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Cleo slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Cleo Rose
2-1 beats · initials CR
Changes the beat after Cleo: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Cleo Emily
2-3 beats · initials CE · Cleo slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Cleo: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Cleo slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Cleo Julia
2-3 beats · initials CJ
Changes the beat after Cleo: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Cleo Miriam
2-3 beats · initials CM
Changes the beat after Cleo: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
Cleo Diana
2-3 beats · initials CD
Changes the beat after Cleo: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 405 in Northern Ireland
Cleo Lydia
2-3 beats · initials CL
Changes the beat after Cleo: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Cleo
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 1,625 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Cleo across countries and decades.
1 in 438 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Cleo across countries and decades.
1 in 636 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Cleo across countries and decades.
1 in 778 in Scotland
92% alike: moves with Cleo across countries and decades.
1 in 307 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Cleo across countries and decades.
1 in 1,491 in Scotland
91% alike: moves with Cleo across countries and decades.
1 in 587 in Ireland
91% alike: moves with Cleo across countries and decades.
1 in 1,457 in Northern Ireland
90% alike: moves with Cleo across countries and decades.
Famous people named Cleo
Cleo Laine, Cléo Pires, Cleo Moore, Cleo King, Cleo Madison and Cleo Massey.
Show all 6Show less
-
English jazz singer and actress (1927–2025)
-
Brazilian actress born 1982
-
American actress (1924–1973)
-
American actress born 1962
-
Actress and film director (1883-1964)
-
Australian actress born 1993
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Cleo
4 questions, on how popular she is, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 4 questionsShow less
How popular is Cleo?
Her best rank is No. 70 in Sweden in 2025, about 1 in 268 girls. She is in the published lists of 21 of our 40 regions.
How do you pronounce Cleo?
KLEE-oh, with 2 syllables.
Is Cleo getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 14 of 19 regions, falling in 1.
Which sister names go with Cleo?
The deck's top five sisters for Cleo: Maia, Thalia, Ophelia, Kiara and Maryam. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.