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Cleaster

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Cleaster

Pronounced klee-AS-ter /kliˈæstər/Low

Meaning: Cleaster is a vintage American name whose origin is not securely documented. The most plausible reading is a blend of a Cle- element - as in Cleo or Cleola - with Esther, the Persian-derived Hebrew name of the biblical queen. It was borne mostly in Southern African-American families of the early twentieth century, and its exact source is honestly uncertain.Low

In 30 seconds: Cleaster is a vintage African-American name of uncertain origin, most plausibly a Cle- element blended with Esther. It was rare and Southern, peaking around mid-century (said klee-AS-ter).

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Origin LowAmerican

MeaningCleaster is a vintage American name whose origin is not securely documented. The most plausible reading is a blend of a Cle- element - as in Cleo or Cleola - with Esther, the Persian-derived Hebrew name of the biblical queen. It was borne mostly in Southern African-American families of the early twentieth century, and its exact source is honestly uncertain.

U.S. rank (1958)#5522 ↘ Falling

1958 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1950

Total births (all-time)≈ 110

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Cleaster is a genuine vintage name from the early-twentieth-century American South, most common in African-American families, whose origin is not firmly recorded. It reads best as a blend of a Cle- opening, in the style of Cleo and Cleola, with Esther, the biblical queen's name. That is a careful reading rather than a certainty, and the honest answer is that its exact source is unknown.

Cleaster was never common, given to only about fourteen girls a year even at its mid-century peak and just over a hundred across a run that stretched from the nineteen-twenties into the nineteen-fifties. A girl named Cleaster then would be in her seventies or older today.

Did you know? The likeliest thread in Cleaster is Esther, the Persian-derived biblical queen whose name is often linked to the word for 'star.'

Overall data confidence 25%

References - Cleaster — Vintage Southern African-American name; origin uncertain; likely Cle- + Esther; peaked c.1950.

Variations

CleastineCleolaCleaster

Nicknames

CleoEssie

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Cleaster…

Cleola— a fellow vintage Cle- name of the era

Esther— the biblical name likely folded into its ending

Cleo— the Cle- root it seems to share

Ester— a variant of the Esther element within it

Explore names like Cleaster

By themeuncertain vintage american southern

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Cleaster mean?

It is a vintage African-American name of uncertain origin, most plausibly a blend of a Cle- element with Esther, the biblical queen's name; its exact source is not documented.

How do you pronounce Cleaster?

It is said klee-AS-ter /kliˈæstər/ - three syllables, stress on the middle.

Is Cleaster a boy or girl name?

Cleaster is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Cleaster?

It was always rare in the United States, given to only about fourteen girls a year at its peak around the middle of the twentieth century, mostly in the South.