| [ 2 syll. cla-ren-ce, cl-are-nce ] The boy name Clarence is pronounced KLEHRahNS KEY. Clarence's origin is English, and its use, English and German. Derived from the element clár meaning 'plain'. The name originated from the Latin title 'Clarensis' or 'of Clare'; the ducal title was first created in the 14th century by King Edward III for his son Lionel, Duke of Clarence after the latter married an heiress with land in Clare, Suffolk. The place name is ultimately from the Irish Clare River and possibly the element 'clár', with no etymological relation to the first name Clare. The given name was first used in the 19th century, given a boost in popularity by Albert Victor (1864-92), the elder son of Edward VII who was named Duke of Clarence in 1890 but died prematurely in 1892 and garnered public sympathy. The name has also been borne by various royal princes in Britain. Despite the difference in origin, Clare has been used as a feminine form. A variant of Clarence is Clarance (English). Other variants of Clarence include the short form Clare (English), and the pet forms Clair (English and French), Clancey (English), Clancy (English), and Clarrie (English). See also the related form, Clare (English). Clarence is an all-time favorite. Currently it is still somewhat popular as a baby name for boys, though to a lesser extent than it was previously. At the height of its usage in 1901, 1.035% of baby boys were given the name Clarence. Its ranking then was #17. The baby name has since markedly fallen in popularity, and is of only occasional use now. In 2007, it ranked at #845 with a usage of 0.011%, but it was nonetheless the most frequently used within all boy names in its group. Clarence has predominantly been a boy name, although in the past century it has also been used for girls. Clarence as a boy name outnumbered its use as girl name by 220 times in 1901. A baby name that sounds like Clarence is Clarance (English). KEY: Pronunciation for Clarence: K as in "key (K.IY)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; EH as in "Ed (EH.D)" ; R as in "read (R.IY.D)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; N as in "knee (N.IY)" ; S as in "sea (S.IY)"
Details of famous persons named Clarence:
Actor Lee Van Cleef, born Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef, Jr., 9 January 1925 - 16 December 1989, Somerville, New Jersey.
Jurist Clarence Thomas, born 23 June 1948, Pin Point, Georgia.
Lawyer Clarence Darrow, born 18 April 1857 - 13 March 1938, Kinsman, Ohio.
Singer Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, born April 18, 1924 - September 10, 2005, Vinton, Louisiana. |
