Boy · Latin
Claudius
Say it: KLAW-dee-us
Meaning
Roman family name; ancient writers linked it to claudus 'lame', which is not proven. The family was of Sabine origin.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
The name of a powerful patrician family; its French form Claude became common in France through the cult of St. Claude of Besançon.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 922 babies given this name since 1890
- At its height in 1893, about 1 in 14,000 boys
- Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020
Through the ages
- Ancient Rome750 BC to AD 476
- The Early Middle Ages400 to 800
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
| Italian | Claudio |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Claudio |
| French | Claude |
| Polish | Klaudiusz |
| Romanian | Claudiu |
| Portuguese | Cláudio |
Famous bearers
- Claudius, Roman emperor
- Claudius Ptolemy, astronomer
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Roman literature and history (Livy, Cicero, Tacitus and others)
- Calendars of saints and name days
- National birth statistics of European countries source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.