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Home › Baby Names Directory › Clide

Clide

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Clide

Pronounced KLYDE /ˈklaɪd/High

Meaning: Clide is a simplified spelling of Clyde, which comes from the River Clyde in Scotland. The river name is ancient and its meaning uncertain - often linked to a word for 'washing' or 'cleansing' - but the personal name simply honours the river and region.Low

In 30 seconds: Clide is a plain-spelled version of Clyde, the Scottish river name that became a rugged boys' name. It appears only faintly in early-1900s records.
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Origin MediumScottish
MeaningClide is a simplified spelling of Clyde, which comes from the River Clyde in Scotland. The river name is ancient and its meaning uncertain - often linked to a word for 'washing' or 'cleansing' - but the personal name simply honours the river and region.
U.S. rank (1960)#4134 ↘ Falling
1960 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1919
Total births (all-time)≈ 718

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 191918831960

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

Clide is a variant spelling of Clyde, a name taken from Scotland's River Clyde. Scottish and Scots-Irish settlers carried river and place names into American naming, and Clyde became a sturdy, plainspoken boys' name in the late nineteenth century.

The Clide spelling was always a footnote to Clyde, reaching only a few dozen boys a year around 1919 before fading by mid-century. It reads as a phonetic simplification typical of its era and has not returned, even as Clyde itself gets an occasional vintage second look.

Did you know? Clide is simply a plainer phonetic spelling of Clyde, a name drawn from Scotland's River Clyde — one of Britain's great rivers. It surfaced only faintly in early-1900s American records, carried over by Scots-Irish families who favored river and place names.
Overall data confidence 55%
References - Clide / Clyde — River Clyde, Scotland; origin uncertain; variant spelling

Variations

ClydeClyClydellClidell

Nicknames

ClyClydie

Famous Bearers

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If you like Clide…

Clyde— the standard spelling this form simplifies, same Scottish river origin
Floyd— a fellow one-syllable vintage boys' name of the period
Boyd— another short Scottish-rooted surname name with the same feel
Lloyd— shares the terse, old-fashioned Celtic sound

Explore names like Clide

By themevintagevariantplace-namescottish

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Clide mean?

Clide is a variant spelling of Clyde, a Scottish name taken from the River Clyde.

How do you pronounce Clide?

It's said KLYDE /ˈklaɪd/ - one syllable, just like Clyde.

Is Clide a boy or girl name?

Clide is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Clide?

Clide has always been very rare, a simplified spelling of the more familiar Clyde.

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