boy's name
Claude
KLOHD
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 561,439
Claude is a name from a Roman family name meaning lame, one of very few widely used names with an unflattering literal sense. In France it is used for both sexes — about a tenth of recorded births are female.
- Claude is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in France in 1936, when 16,520 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 29,475 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Claude Over Time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 7,450 |
| 1910s | 7,440 |
| 1920s | 39,870 |
| 1930s | 136,475 |
| 1940s | 125,295 |
| 1950s | 93,650 |
| 1960s | 41,835 |
| 1970s | 11,240 |
| 1980s | 3,225 |
| 1990s | 1,100 |
| 2000s | 490 |
| 2010s | 165 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 95 |
What Claude Means
Claude means lame, or limping. The Roman family name it comes from was built on that Latin adjective, and unusually for a name the meaning was never softened or reinterpreted.
Where Claude Comes From
Claude is the French form of the Roman gens name Claudius, from claudus, lame. Roman family names frequently recorded a physical characteristic of some distant ancestor without embarrassment — Cicero from a chickpea, Naso from a nose — and Claudius belongs to that pattern. The emperor Claudius, who had a limp and a stammer and was written off by his family before ruling for thirteen competent years, is the bearer everyone knows. In France the name is borne by both men and women: Claude Monet and Claude Debussy on one side, and a long tradition of female Claudes going back to Claude of France, queen consort in 1515, on the other.
Claude in Use
Claude peaked in France in 1936, when 16,520 babies were registered, and it is stable. It now ranks 1,642nd in France on 20 births, 2,075th in England and Wales and 3,060th in the United States, across 561,439 lifetime births in four markets. About 10 percent of recorded births are female, almost all of them French, which makes it one of the few names on this site whose gender depends on which country you are in.
How Popular Is Claude?
In 2025, Claude was given to 20 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Claude Is Used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Claude
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Claude Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Claude over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Claude
- Pronunciation KLOHD /klod/
Claude 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 Claude
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Claude — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Claude
What does the name Claude mean?
Lame or limping, from the Latin claudus by way of the Roman family name Claudius.
Is Claude a girls' name?
In France, for both — about 10 percent of recorded births are female, going back to Claude of France in 1515.
Why would a name mean lame?
Roman family names often recorded an ancestor's physical trait without embarrassment, like Cicero from a chickpea.
How popular is Claude?
1,642nd in France, and it is stable rather than falling.
How many syllables are in Claude?
Claude has 1 syllable.
Is Claude a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Claude currently ranks #1,642 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.