Home › Baby Names Directory › Clydia
Clydia
How to Pronounce Clydia
Pronounced KLIGH-dee-uh /ˈklaɪdiə/Medium
Meaning: Clydia is a home-grown American name read two ways: as a feminine of Clyde, the Scottish river-name whose sense is uncertain, and as a reshaping of the Latin Claudia, feminine of Claudius, from claudus, 'lame'. The Claudia link supplies the likeliest classical meaning, while the Clyde sound gives it a Scottish-American flavor.Low
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
Clydia appears in American birth records from about the turn of the twentieth century, most plausibly as a feminine of the river-name Clyde or as a local reshaping of Claudia. Its double heritage makes it a distinctly American vintage coinage.
It stayed rare throughout, reaching only a couple dozen girls a year around 1923 before fading. A Clydia from that time belongs to a great-grandmother's generation now, and the name reads as an inventive period piece rather than an established classic.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- Famous bearers coming soon.
If you like Clydia…
Explore names like Clydia
Frequently Asked
What does the name Clydia mean?
It's most likely a feminine of Clyde or a reshaping of Claudia, 'lame'.
How do you pronounce Clydia?
It's said KLIGH-dee-uh /ˈklaɪdiə/, three syllables, stress on the first.
Is Clydia a boy or girl name?
Clydia is used as a girl's name.
Is Clydia a popular name?
No, it was always rare, seen only faintly in the early twentieth century.