Cleo is a short form of Cleopatra and of Cleophas, from the Greek kleos, which means "glory" or "fame". The Egyptian queen gives it a touch of drama, while the short form itself has a playful vintage feel, like Theo for boys. In the United States Cleo ranked number 2343 in 2000, returned to the top 1000 in 2019 and reaches number 577 among girls' names in 2025, its best rank in this century.