Cleveland

Did you know?

A few things about Cleveland you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Cleveland

Cleveland Abbe

American meteorologist and advocate of time zones (1838-1916)

Choose Cleveland and your child shares a first name with Cleveland Abbe, an American meteorologist and advocate of time zones. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Cleveland, like who?” Cleveland Abbe's Wikipedia article is available in 26 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Cleveland Abbe on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 156,250 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Cleveland, 11 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Cleveland would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCleveland has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Clevelands, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1884, when it ranked #92. Today it's #7,194, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowCleveland was 3.9× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 40,161 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 156,250.
• 🍂TrendCleveland has slipped 2,496 places over the last five years and now sits at #7,194. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Cleveland means “hilly land”.

About the name Cleveland

Cleveland is a boy name of English origin meaning “hilly land”. It has 9 letters and 3 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-and”. US birth records list Cleveland for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1884, when it ranked #92 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #7,194, with 11 babies.

Origin:English names