Meaning & Origin
A ducal title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the English and British royal families
Clarence is a boy's and girl's baby name of Latin origin, from the Duke of Clarence title, a British royal title tracing to the town of Clare in Suffolk, England — ultimately from the Latin Clara ("clear, bright"). The name entered general use after the title became prominent in the English royal family.
Clarence was in the U.S. top 20 boys' names from the 1880s through the 1910s. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and jazz legend Clarence "Frogman" Henry are among its notable bearers. It has the dignified weight of a name from another era — due for the same revival bringing Herbert and Walter back into conversation.