Baby Name of the Day: Clyde

The baby name Clyde was a turn-of-the-20th-century staple. Could it make a comeback today?

Thanks to Wrenn for suggesting a name from her family tree as our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME CLYDE MEAN?

The origins of Clyde are debated, but we know that Scotland’s River Clyde has flowed through the city of Glasgow to the sea for millennia.

As for the river’s name?

Way back in the year 50, geographer Claudius Ptolemy called the river Klota. Other sources recorded it as Clut, Clud, and Clota. Theories about the name’s etymology include:

• It might mean loud/loudly, from a Celtic word.
• There’s a Celtic goddess called Clota, familiar in the area. Her name means something like “holy and flowing.”

Since plenty of rivers have been named for goddesses and legends, that last one feels quite promising. 

As it happens, other rivers around the world share the same name, from Australia to Canada and elsewhere, too.

Horses bred in the Valley of the Clyde became known as Clydesdales – one more reference.

SURNAME AND ARISTOCRATIC TITLE NAME

Clyde is a relatively rare surname, probably from the same Scottish origin as the river and surrounding areas.

But it didn’t make the leap to first name status until Colin Campbell came along.

Born to a family of modest means, Cambpell enlisted in the British army and rose through the ranks. He served in South America, China, and the Crimea, but is best known for quelling a rebellion in India back in 1857. For his service, Campbell was elevated to the peerage as the first Baron Clyde in 1858.

That’s a few decades before official United States name data is published.

By the time data is available in the year 1880, it’s clear that the baby name Clyde is a rising favorite. 

At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, Clyde reached peak popularity. It ranked right around #50, and would remain in the Top 100 through most of the 1930s. 

FAMOUS CLYDES

Novelist Theodore Dreiser made the story of humbly-born Clyde Griffiths an American Tragedy in 1925. Dreiser based his novel on a real-life story, though that unfortunate soul was named Chester. When the novel was adapted as a successful movie in 1951, the title was changed to A Place in the Sun, and Clyde was re-named George.

Other famous people include:

• Aviation pioneer Clyde Cessna.
• Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, most famous for discovering not-quite-a-planet Pluto.
• Singer Clyde McPhatter of R&B greats The Drifters.
• Olympic gold medalist and NBA Hall-of-Famer Clyde Drexler.

BONNIE and CLYDE

Chances are that there’s one very specific figure the name Clyde brings to mind: Clyde Barrow, one half of the much romanticized couple.

During the Great Depression, Clyde Barrow and his partner Bonnie Parker robbed banks, grocery stores and gas stations, killing at least nine police officers along the way. While they captured the public imagination, odds are they were neither as glamorous or as noble as their image suggested. They were the group leaders of the Barrow gang, but they didn’t act alone.

Perhaps they’d have faded into obscurity – except for Hollywood.

In 1967, actor Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway starred in Bonnie and Clyde. The movie was a success, both financially and critically, earning plenty of Oscar nominations. It was far more violent than typical movies in the era, and mythologizing criminals raised a few eyebrows.

If the story was part of American folklore pre-1967, this cemented its place. The story is re-told and referenced with some frequency. 2019 Kevin Costner/Woody Harrelson movie The Highwaymen told the story of Bonnie and Clyde’s arrest from law enforcement’s perspective. 

Even Looney Tunes has given us Bunny and Claude, the tale of two rabbits who rob carrot patches. 

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME CLYDE?

By the 1970s and 80s, the baby name Clyde was falling fast.

Pop culture references suggest the name was something of a punchline. 

In 1978, actor Clint Eastwood co-starred with an orangutan in Every Which Way But Loose. It’s a comedy. Eastwood is a trucker and amateur boxer who heads off an adventure, accompanied by his pet orangutan and best friend Orville. It was a surprise hit, but it’s not the kind of moment that would inspire use of the name Clyde.

Video game Pac-Man was a runaway success during the 1980s. Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde are the ghosts that chase the yellow main character.

Again, not exactly a source of naming inspiration.

By 1998, the baby name Clyde left the US Top 1000 entirely.

But in 2013, the name returned. As of 2023, it stands at a respectable #719.

COMEBACK COOL

Could Clyde fit in with other short, retro names for boys? 

It’s a little bit like Max, or even Ozzy. Offbeat, brief, and traditional, though not classic.

If you love that old school, throwback vibe, and want something simple but distinctive, Clyde is one to consider.

What do you think of the baby name Clyde?

First published on June 25, 2009, this post was revised on April 7, 2025.