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Home › Baby Names Directory › Cleven

Cleven

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Cleven

Pronounced KLEV-en /ˈklɛv.ən/Low

Meaning: Cleven's precise root is not certain; it may clip the surname Cleveland, from the Old English clif meaning cliff and land meaning land, following the same trend that turned other place-surnames into short given names.Low

In 30 seconds: Cleven's exact source stays uncertain, most plausibly a trimmed form of the surname Cleveland, cliff-land in Old English (said KLEV-en).
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Origin LowOld English, American
MeaningCleven's precise root is not certain; it may clip the surname Cleveland, from the Old English clif meaning cliff and land meaning land, following the same trend that turned other place-surnames into short given names.
U.S. rank (1989)#7119 ↘ Falling
1989 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1920
Total births (all-time)≈ 583
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Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192019081989

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

Cleven is recorded from 1908 onward, reaching its modest peak around 1920 as surname-derived boys' names were broadly fashionable.

It stayed rare throughout its long run, only a couple dozen boys a year even at its best, gradually tapering off until it disappeared from records by the late 1980s.

Did you know? Cleven's long span, from 1908 to 1989, outlasted many similarly opaque coined names, suggesting it found a small but loyal niche in certain families.
Overall data confidence 30%
References - Cleven — Possible clipped form of Cleveland surname; origin uncertain

Variations

ClevonClevinClevan

Nicknames

Clev

Famous Bearers

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If you like Cleven…

Cleveland— the likely surname source Cleven clips
Clayton— shares the same Old English land-name pattern
Elvin— matches the crisp two-syllable -en/-in sound
Chasen— shares Cleven's American roots
Colesen— lands in the same popularity range

Explore names like Cleven

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Cleven mean?

Its exact source is uncertain; it most plausibly clips the surname Cleveland, from the Old English clif meaning cliff and land meaning land.

How do you pronounce Cleven?

It's said KLEV-en /ˈklɛv.ən/, two syllables with the stress on the first.

Is Cleven a boy or girl name?

Cleven is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Cleven?

It was always rare, given to only a couple dozen boys a year at its high point in the nineteen-twenties.

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