Cleo
Top 1000
About Cleo
Cleo, one of the few girls' names to boast the cool-yet-lively o ending, is of course short for Cleopatra, the name of one of the most powerful women in history.
Cleo was most popular in the early decades of the twentieth century--when it was also used for boys. The opening of the Egyptian tombs along with the 1917 silent film starring Theda Bara popularized a range of now-obscure Cleopatra diminutives, including Cleora, and Cleola.
A distinguished bearer is the British jazz singer Cleo Laine, and there have been Cleos on two TV dramas: ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Maybe the fact that Cleo was recently chosen by Friends' David Schwimmer will ignite a welcome revival.
Sound-alike Clio is the name of the ancient Greek mythological muse of history and heroic poetry, one that is rich with modern charm and would also make an intriguing choice,
As of October 2026, Cleo ranked #577 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #171 in 1907, Nameberry popularity #97.
Editor's take: The name Cleo is a girl's name of English origin meaning "glory".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,986 | 100 | 56 |
| 2015 | #1,759 | 119 | 66.7 |
| 2016 | #1,551 | 144 | 81.3 |
| 2017 | #1,468 | 153 | 88.6 |
| 2018 | #1,109 | 222 | 130.5 |
| 2019 | #968 | 270 | 160.9 |
| 2020 | #882 | 303 | 187.4 |
| 2021 | #796 | 355 | 216.3 |
| 2022 | #663 | 445 | 271.3 |
| 2023 | #610 | 488 | 304.1 |
| 2024 | #603 | 495 | 305.5 |
| 2025 | #577 | 516 | 321 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Cleo.
- Faye
- Magnolia
- Tallulah
- Laurel
- Dahlia
- Lola
- Darcy
- Opal
- Briar
- Rue
- Fleur
- Camillia
- Delilah
- Sylvie
- Estelle
- Minni
- Juno
- Primrose
- Robin
- Phoebe
Cleo on lists
Famous Cleos
- Cleo Laine
Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Bullock), English jazz singer
- Miss Cleo (born Youree Dell Harris)
American psychic
- Cleopatra Madonna "Cleo" Higgins
American R&B singer of group Cleopatra
- Cleo Madison (born Lulu Bailey)
American silent film actress
- Cléopatra Diane "Cléo" de Mérode
French Belle Époque dancer
- Cleouna "Cleo" Moore
American actress
- Cleo
pseudonym of Clementina Cote, French neo,impressionist painter
- Cleo
stage name of Joanna Klepko, Polish pop singer
- Cleo Page
Canadian rhythmic gymnast
- Sheila Lynne "Cleo" Odzer
American author
- Cleo Patra Brown
American jazz singer
- Cleo Rocos
Brazilian,British comedienne
- Cleo Pires (Ayrosa Galvão)
Brazilian actress
- (Freda) Cleo (Helwig) Ridgely
American actress
- Cleo von Adelsheim
stage name of Cleopatra Freiin von Adelsheim von Ernest, Hereditary Princess of Oettingen,Oettingen and Oettingen,Spielberg, German,Chilean actress
- Cleo Ice Queen
stage name of Clementina Mulenga, Zambian rapper
- Cleopatra "Cleo" Demetriou
Cypriot,British actress
- Cleo Rose Elliott (b. 1984)
daughter of actors Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott
- Cleo Bennett (b. 1988)
daughter of designer Laura Bennett
- Cleo Buckman Schwimmer (b. 2011)
daughter of actor David Schwimmer
- Cleo James Schulman (b. 2016)
daughter of TV personality Nev Schulman
Cleo in pop culture
- Cleo
fish in Disney's "Pinocchio"
- Cleo
purple dog in "Clifford the Big Red Dog" series
- Cleo Sertori
mermaid character on Australian TV show "H2O: Just Add Water"
- Cleo
main character in "Invisible Sister"
- Cleopatra "Cleo" McQueen
character on British soap "Hollyoaks"
- Cleo
character in "Toad Patrol"
- Cleo de Nile
daughter of the mummies in "Monster High" show and series