Claire
Claire was the 68th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,487 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 40th with 5,216 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 19 places. More babies were named Claire in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning clear, bright · French, Latin
Say it KLAIR /klɛr/
- Rank in 2025
- #68 girls, down 10 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,487girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20165,216 babies
- Total since 1880
- 214,123babies recorded
What does the name Claire mean?
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
Claire popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 2,204 since 1885.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #68 | 3,487 |
| 2020 | #58 | 3,837 |
| 2010 | #53 | 4,917 |
| 2000 | #86 | 3,711 |
| 1990 | #158 | 1,855 |
| 1980 | #403 | 567 |
| 1970 | #547 | 341 |
| 1960 | #315 | 899 |
| 1950 | #234 | 1,038 |
| 1940 | #194 | 950 |
| 1930 | #136 | 1,654 |
| 1920 | #194 | 1,019 |
| 1910 | #233 | 274 |
| 1900 | #262 | 156 |
| 1890 | #291 | 72 |
| 1880 | #354 | 21 |
How popular is Claire, counting every spelling?
Claire is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #71 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #68 for Claire 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 Claire?
3,487 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Claire (0.97 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Claire 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 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Claire.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Claire?
About 167,700 people born in the US named Claire are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 11 and 33. That makes Claire mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Claire by state
How common Claire was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (3.2×), Maine (2.8×), District of Columbia (2.8×), Utah (2.6×), North Dakota (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Hawaii, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Claire: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Claire, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Claire · Sibling names for Claire
Questions about the name Claire
What does Claire mean?
Claire means “clear, bright” (French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Claire?
Claire was the 68th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,487 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 40th with 5,216 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 19 places. More babies were named Claire in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Claire a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Claire in the US.
Where is Claire most popular?
In 2021–2025, Claire was most common in Wyoming (6.80 per 1,000 girls), followed by Maine and District of Columbia.