The name Clemency is an anglicisation of the medieval French name 'Clemence' and ultimately comes from the Latin 'clemens'. It means, literally, clemency - mercy or lenience.
Clemency falls into the Christian tradition of 'virtue' names. These names are particularly associated with the early Puritan settlers of the United States, who often gave their sons and daughters names which embodied an important cultural/religious quality - names like Temperance, Prudence, Hope.
Some of these names - Faith, Grace or Verity - are still well-known girls' names in the 21st century, while others have fallen out of use. Clemency is one of the more uncommon of the virtue names (only 17 girls were given the name in 2012, with another 28 named Clemence).
Famous people called Clemency:
Clemency Burton-Hill, British actress and writer (born Clemency Margaret Greatrex Burton)
Winifred Ashton, British author (born Clemence Dane)
Can be shortened to:
Clem, Clemmie Surnames to avoid Clemency with:
Surnames beginning with an 'I' sound, ie. Inman or Ingman, might cause problems as when said aloud this combination of sounds may result in elision – when two words slurred together end up sounding like one. You may also want to steer clear if your surname could follow 'clammy' as a playground taunt...
Similar names:
Foreign variants include Clémence (French), Klementyna (Polish) and Clementia (Italian).
English names with a similar sound or theme include Clementine, Clarissa, Constance, Grace or Mercy.
Male variations:
Masculine variations of Clemency include Clement (the name of 14 popes), Clemens and Clem
Celebrities who named their baby Clemency: