girl's name
Clementine
KLEM-en-teen
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 10
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 56,479
the United States
#457
2025 births
Clementine is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "merciful." It comes from clemens, and the citrus fruit is named after a French monk called Clément who bred it — so the fruit takes its name from the name, not the reverse.
- Clementine is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 676 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,904 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Clementine over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2023, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 5,000 |
| 1910s | 2,730 |
| 1920s | 1,875 |
| 1930s | 715 |
| 1940s | 250 |
| 1950s | 180 |
| 1960s | 185 |
| 1970s | 895 |
| 1980s | 5,240 |
| 1990s | 8,625 |
| 2000s | 7,095 |
| 2010s | 4,670 |
| 2020s (to 2023) | 1,050 |
What Clementine means
Clementine means merciful, mild or gentle. The Latin clemens describes leniency in someone with the power to be harsh, which is why it was a virtue attributed to emperors.
Where Clementine comes from
Clementine is the French feminine of Clement, from the Latin clemens, merciful or mild — a quality Roman writers praised in rulers specifically because they could choose otherwise. Fourteen popes took the name Clement. The fruit is a genuine derivative: Brother Clément Rodier, a French missionary in Algeria, produced the hybrid around 1902 and it was named clémentine for him. The American folk song Oh My Darling, Clementine dates from 1884 and long predates the fruit.
Clementine in use
Our data shows Clementine peaking in 2025 — still climbing — and it first appears in our records in 1880. It sits in the same British and American revival as Ottilie, Arabella and Seraphina: long ornate names that spent the twentieth century out of use and returned together.
How popular is Clementine?
In 2025, Clementine was given to 676 babies in the United States, ranking #457 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Clementine is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Clementine is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Clémentine | Clémentine is Clementine written with an acute accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #399 in France, against #6,750 for Clementine. | 37,745 |
Names that peaked alongside Clementine
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Clementine also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Clementine over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Clementine
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Clementine 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 Clementina Clemens
- German
- Clemens
- Italian
- Clementina
- Late Latin
- Clemens
- Latin
- Clemens
Sibling names for Clementine
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Clementine — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Clementine
What does the name Clementine mean?
Clementine means "merciful," from the Latin clemens.
Is Clementine named after the fruit?
The other way round. Brother Clément Rodier bred the hybrid around 1902 and it was named clémentine for him.
How old is the song Oh My Darling, Clementine?
It dates from 1884, nearly twenty years before the fruit existed.
How popular is the name Clementine?
In 2025, Clementine was given to 676 babies in the United States, ranking #457 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Clementine a girl's or a boy's name?
Clementine is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Clementine?
Clementine has 3 syllables.
When was Clementine most popular?
Clementine peaked in 2025, when 676 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Clementine?
Clementine is usually shortened to Clem, Clemmie, Tina and Cleo.
Is Clementine a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Clementine currently ranks #188 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.