Clovis

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Chlodwig in DE Germany, AT Austria.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 15 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Clovis is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• French given name55K records spelled Clovis6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France

  Also written Clóvis, Çlovis, Clovïs, Çlovîs

• a separate name789 records spelled Clovis3 spellings in the group

  Also written Clóvis, Clövis

• a separate name225 records spelled Clovis4 spellings in the group

  Also written Clóvis, C͜͡l͜͡o͜͡v͜͡i͜͡s͜͡

• a separate name219 records spelled Clovis9 spellings in the group

  Also written Clóvis

• Russian given name171 records spelled Clovis9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Russia, Türkiye

  Also written Кловис, Кловіс, Klovis, Clóvis

55 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Clovis is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In French, Germanic name meaning « glorious fighter ».

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• Germanic: ‘fame war’; equivalent of German Ludwig. Clovis (c.466—5 11) was the founder of the medieval Frankish kingdom, a precursor of modern France.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In English, A male given name borne by several prominent people in Frankish/French and Germanic history.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In English, Clovis [Chlodwig, Chlodowech]

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

• In English, Prankish king

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 128 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Clovis Ib. 466FRfirst king of the Franks (c. 466-511)
• Clovis IIb. 635FRKing of Neustria and Burgundy
• Clovis IIIb. 670King of Austrasia
• Clovis IVb. 677King of the Franks
• Clovis Huguesb. 1851FRFrench writer
• Chlodwig, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeldb. 1876DEnot in their usual nameGerman noble (1876-1954)
• Joseph Pholienb. 1884BEnot in their usual nameBelgian politician (1884-1968)
• Clovis Macouinb. 1888FRFrench politician
• Clovis Cornillacb. 1967FRFrench actor and film director
• Clovis Fouinb. 1988FRFrench actor

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 541 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Clovis?

We estimate roughly 51 thousand people bear Clovis (counting its spellings and scripts) across 11 countries in our records.

In which country does Clovis have the most bearers?

Clovis is most frequently recorded in Canada, where it is most often spelled clovis.

What does the name Clovis mean?

Recorded meaning: Germanic name from hlod 'fame' and wic 'battle/warrior'.