Clarence

Latin

"bright"

Clarence Origin and Meaning

The name Clarence is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "bright".

The name of the guardian angel in It's a Wonderful Life is rarely heard the rest of the year because of its studious, near-nerdy image, but this could change in the current naming climate.

An English peerage title, Clarence enjoyed great popularity at the turn of the last century, reaching as high as Number 18 in 1900, and staying on the list until 2010. It has two prominent legal bearers--Clarence Darrow, defense attorney at the Scopes Trial, and current Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. We can thank Clarence Birdseye for the invention of frozen food. Aretha Franklin and Louis Armstrong both named their sons Clarence.

Clarence Rank in US Top 1000

# 983 in the US

Clarence Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 520 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Clarence

• 520 Nameberry 2025
• 552 Unique 2023

20 Names Similar to Clarence

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Clarence.

• Gilbert
• Archibald
• Claude
• Edgar
• Bernard
• Wilfred
• Ernest
• Leopold
• Oswald
• Friedrich
• Cecil
• Eugene
• Laurence
• Clement
• Edmond
• Bartholomew
• Humphrey
• Ferdinand
• Lionel
• Seymour

Famous People Named Clarence

• Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash American voice actor of Donald Duck
• Clarence Thomas United States Supreme Court justice
• Clarence "Clancy' Brown American actor
• Clarence Darnell Gilyard Jr., American actor
• Clarence Anicholas Clemons American saxophonist (E Street Band)
• Clarence Seward Darrow American trial lawyer
• Clarence Edmonds Hemingway American physician, father of novelist Ernest Hemingway
• Clarence 13X (born Clarence Edward Smith) American Islamic leader
• Clarence Clyde Seedorf Dutch footballer
• Clarence Lester "Biggie" Munn American college football coach
• Robert Clarence "Bob" Irwin Australian TV personality and son of the late "Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin

The name Clarence in Pop Culture

• Clarence Oddbody angel in movie "It's a Wonderful Life"
• Clarence character in the game Penumbra: Black Plague
• Clarence Boddicker character in movie "Robocop"
• "Clarence " animated series and main character
• Clarence Threepwood Earl of Emsworth, character in P. G. Wodehouse's Blandings Series