Like her male counterpart, Clémence is, by its Latin etymology, “indulgent”. Worn since the Middle Ages, this first name became very rare in the 19th century. It has been in favor again since the 90s in circles sensitive to the great classics from antiquity. Party on March 21.
Origin and etymology of the first name Clémence
Derived from the adjective clemens (good, indulgent), Clementia was the Roman goddess of forgiveness and mercy, depicted with an outstretched hand. It was celebrated by Julius Caesar, who built a temple to it at the end of the civil war which opposed him to Pompey, to signify his feelings towards his former enemies.
Saint Clemency, of whom little is known, was the widow of a 12th century German count who ended her life in devotion in a convent.
Use and popularity of the first name Clémence
Like all first names with moral significance, Clémence was relatively common in the Middle Ages throughout Europe, and more so than its masculine Clément. Abandoned from the 19th century, it has been rediscovered for about twenty years, mainly in “educated” families. Among the rare celebrities to have borne this first name, we can cite Clémence of Hungary, who, as her name does not indicate, was briefly Queen of France from 1315 to 1316. We should also mention the anarchist Louise Michel, who was actually named Clémence Louise, and closer to us, the singer Clémence Saint-Preux, daughter of the composer of the same name.
To go further
- 2000 first names and their history, by Omer Englebert. Albin Michel, 2015.