Clair
Clair was the 4680th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 29 babies. Its best year was 1899, when it ranked 845th; the most babies were born in 1991 (66). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,320 places. More babies were named Clair in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Claire) clear, bright · French, Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #4,680 girls, down 305 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 29girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199166 babies
- Total since 1880
- 16,351babies recorded
What does the name Clair mean?
Clair is a spelling of Claire, pronounced the same way, so it shares Claire's meaning and origin.
Claire is the French form of Clara, from Latin clara, the feminine of clarus, 'clear, bright, famous'. Saint Clare of Assisi, the 13th-century follower of Saint Francis who founded the order of Poor Clares, made the name widespread; DMNES lists her under Clara. The medieval English form was Clare, and Wiktionary notes that the French spelling Claire became the more common one in English in the 20th century. Clare is also an Irish county and an English place name with unrelated origins.
clārus (Latin, “clear, bright, famous”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Clare, Clara, Clair, Chiara, Klara.
See also: Latin names, names that mean light, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Claire', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'Clare', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Clara', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
Clair popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,680 | — | 29 | — |
| 2020 | #4,375 | #12,405 | 31 | 5 |
| 2010 | #3,636 | — | 43 | — |
| 2000 | #2,869 | — | 50 | — |
| 1990 | #2,466 | #6,530 | 49 | 7 |
| 1980 | #3,632 | #2,292 | 22 | 22 |
| 1970 | #3,454 | #1,662 | 18 | 27 |
| 1960 | #1,986 | #923 | 33 | 67 |
| 1950 | #1,379 | #659 | 44 | 113 |
| 1940 | #1,377 | #439 | 30 | 175 |
| 1930 | #1,032 | #313 | 51 | 314 |
| 1920 | #1,212 | #311 | 40 | 339 |
| 1910 | #1,800 | #464 | 8 | 35 |
| 1900 | #1,179 | #350 | 11 | 39 |
| 1890 | — | #407 | — | 20 |
| 1880 | #849 | #536 | 5 | 12 |
How popular is Clair, counting every spelling?
Clair is a spelling of Claire, a name family that ranked #71 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,680 for Clair on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,861 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claire | 3,487 | #68 | 17,108 |
| Clare | 283 | #924 | 1,406 |
| Klaire | 56 | #2,977 | 303 |
| Clair | 29 | #4,680 | 131 |
| Klair | 6 | #14,118 | 32 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Clair?
29 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Clair (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Clair born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 291 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Clair.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Clair?
About 3,000 people born in the US named Clair are alive today, with a median age of 34; half are between 19 and 58. That makes Clair mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Clair: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Clair, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Clair
What does Clair mean?
Clair is a spelling of Claire, which means “clear, bright” (French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Clair?
Clair was the 4680th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 29 babies. Its best year was 1899, when it ranked 845th; the most babies were born in 1991 (66). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,320 places. More babies were named Clair in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Clair a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Clair in the US.