Clara
Clara was the 63rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,601 babies. Its best year was 1885, when it ranked 7th; the most babies were born in 1918 (5,778). Over the last ten years it has moved up 35 places. More babies were named Clara in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning clear, bright · Latin
Say it KLAIR-uh /ˈklɛrə/
- Rank in 2025
- #63 girls, up 40 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,601girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19185,778 babies
- Total since 1880
- 301,540babies recorded
What does the name Clara mean?
Clara is the feminine of the Late Latin name Clarus, from clarus, 'clear, bright, famous'. It became widely used after Saint Clare of Assisi, the 13th-century follower of Saint Francis who founded the Poor Clares; DMNES lists her as Clara. Wikipedia notes that Clare was the usual English form in the Middle Ages and that the Latin spelling Clara became more popular in the 19th century. Claire is the French form, Chiara the Italian and Klara the German.
clārus (Latin, “clear, bright, famous”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Clare, Claire, Chiara, Klara, Clarissa.
See also: Latin names, names that mean light, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Clara', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Clara', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Clara (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Clara
The usual nicknames for Clara are Clare. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Clara in the last five years, 10 were named Clare, against 39 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clare | Traditional | #924 | 1,406 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Claras go by each one.
Clara popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,016 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #63 | 3,601 |
| 2020 | #103 | 2,696 |
| 2010 | #167 | 1,842 |
| 2000 | #353 | 879 |
| 1990 | #515 | 467 |
| 1980 | #511 | 392 |
| 1970 | #530 | 358 |
| 1960 | #309 | 915 |
| 1950 | #178 | 1,570 |
| 1940 | #111 | 2,316 |
| 1930 | #64 | 4,124 |
| 1920 | #44 | 5,470 |
| 1910 | #32 | 2,665 |
| 1900 | #19 | 2,826 |
| 1890 | #9 | 2,496 |
| 1880 | #12 | 1,226 |
How popular is Clara, counting every spelling?
Clara is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #75 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #63 for Clara on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,720 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clara | 3,601 | #63 | 14,581 |
| Klara | 112 | #1,804 | 573 |
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 Clara?
3,601 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Clara (1.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Clara 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 Clara.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Clara?
About 102,800 people born in the US named Clara are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 9 and 69. That makes Clara mostly worn by children and young adults. 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.
Clara by state
How common Clara was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (3.7×), South Dakota (3.4×), District of Columbia (3.2×), Montana (3.0×), Nebraska (2.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, Hawaii, Florida.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Clara: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Clara, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Clara · Sibling names for Clara
Clara is also a nickname for Clarissa.
Questions about the name Clara
What does Clara mean?
Clara means “clear, bright” (Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Clara?
Clara was the 63rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,601 babies. Its best year was 1885, when it ranked 7th; the most babies were born in 1918 (5,778). Over the last ten years it has moved up 35 places. More babies were named Clara in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Clara a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Clara in the US.
Where is Clara most popular?
In 2021–2025, Clara was most common in Vermont (6.60 per 1,000 girls), followed by South Dakota and District of Columbia.