girl's name
Clara
KLAR-uh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 429,417
the United States
#63
2025 births
Clara is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "bright" or "clear," from clarus. It spread through medieval Europe by way of Saint Clare of Assisi, who founded the order of Poor Clares alongside Francis in the thirteenth century.
- Clara is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 5,800 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 921 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Clara over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 17,800 |
| 1890s | 25,545 |
| 1900s | 24,013 |
| 1910s | 44,502 |
| 1920s | 48,392 |
| 1930s | 31,872 |
| 1940s | 20,104 |
| 1950s | 12,800 |
| 1960s | 6,515 |
| 1970s | 3,295 |
| 1980s | 3,686 |
| 1990s | 6,271 |
| 2000s | 12,794 |
| 2010s | 26,674 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 17,277 |
What Clara means
Clara means bright, clear, or famous, from the Latin clarus. The word carried all three senses in Latin — a clear sound, a bright light, and a distinguished reputation — and English preserves that range in clarity, clarion and declare.
Where Clara comes from
Clara comes from the Latin clarus, meaning clear, bright, or renowned. Its spread through Christian Europe follows Chiara of Assisi, known in English as Saint Clare, who in 1212 left her family to follow Francis of Assisi and founded the order that became the Poor Clares. She was canonized two years after her death and is, unexpectedly, the patron saint of television — declared so in 1958 because she was said to have seen a Mass projected on her wall when too ill to attend. Clara was the standard English form until Clare and Claire displaced it, and it has returned strongly in recent decades.
Clara in use
Saint Clare of Assisi is the patron saint of television, named so in 1958 for a vision reported eight centuries earlier.
How popular is Clara?
In 2025, Clara was given to 3,601 babies in the United States, ranking #63 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Clara is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Clara
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Clara also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Clara over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Clara
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Clara in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Clara
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Clara — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Clara
What does the name Clara mean?
Clara means "bright" or "clear," from the Latin clarus.
Is Clara the same name as Claire?
They share the root clarus; Clara is the Latin form and Claire the French.
Who was Saint Clare?
Chiara of Assisi, who founded the Poor Clares in 1212 after following Francis of Assisi.
How popular is the name Clara?
In 2025, Clara was given to 3,601 babies in the United States, ranking #63 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Clara a girl's or a boy's name?
Clara is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Clara?
Clara has 2 syllables.
When was Clara most popular?
Clara peaked in 1918, when 5,800 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Clara?
Clara is usually shortened to Clare.
Is Clara a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Clara currently ranks #20 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.