girl's name
Clémence
klay-MAHNS
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 100 (France)
- Births on record 92,974
France
#76
2025 births
Clémence is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "mercy" or "mildness," one of the Roman virtue names. It ranks seventy-sixth in France and is falling from a peak in 2006, and it appears almost nowhere else.
- Clémence is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 2006, when 2,575 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 928 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
Clémence over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 6,265 |
| 1910s | 3,670 |
| 1920s | 2,830 |
| 1930s | 1,420 |
| 1940s | 595 |
| 1950s | 435 |
| 1960s | 325 |
| 1970s | 1,135 |
| 1980s | 9,840 |
| 1990s | 20,875 |
| 2000s | 21,045 |
| 2010s | 16,660 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,030 |
What Clémence means
Clémence means mercy, or mildness. It is the abstract noun from the Latin clementia, the quality of a ruler who spares rather than punishes, and it was a political virtue in Rome before it became a Christian one.
Where Clémence comes from
Clémence descends from the Latin clementia, mercy, the feminine counterpart of Clement, from clemens, mild or merciful. Clementia was a Roman goddess and a virtue publicly attributed to Julius Caesar, whose policy of sparing defeated enemies was advertised as clementia Caesaris. Fourteen popes took the name Clement. The English Clemency and Clementine descend from the same root, and the fruit is named after Brother Clement Rodier, who is credited with the hybrid — so the clementine is named after a person rather than the virtue directly. In French the name has been in continuous use and was fashionable in the 1990s and 2000s.
Clémence in use
Clémence ranks seventy-sixth in France with about 635 births in 2025, past a peak in 2006. It is one of the most exclusively French names at this level: the unaccented Clemence sits beyond 2,400 in England and Wales and beyond 10,800 in the United States. Our records carry it from 1900 and hold more than 91,000 births.
How popular is Clémence?
In 2025, Clémence was given to 635 babies in France, ranking #76 that year. It is one of the most popular names in France.
Where Clémence is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Clémence is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Clemence | Clemence is a spelling of Clémence, used in Canada, where it ranks #209. | 5,449 |
Names that peaked alongside Clémence
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Clémence also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Clémence over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Clémence in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Clementine
Sibling names for Clémence
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Clémence — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Clémence
What does the name Clémence mean?
Clémence means "mercy" or "mildness," from the Latin clementia.
Is the clementine fruit related?
By way of a person. It is named after Brother Clement Rodier, credited with the hybrid.
How do you pronounce Clémence?
klay-MAHNS, with a nasal second syllable.
Is Clémence used outside France?
Very little. The unaccented Clemence sits beyond 2,400 in England and Wales.
Is Clémence a girl's or a boy's name?
Clémence is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Clémence most popular?
Clémence peaked in 2006, when 2,575 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Clémence a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Clémence currently ranks #76 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.