Entry № 1221 · French origin

Claire Claire — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ KLAIR /
Gender
Girl
Origin
French
Meaning
"Bright, clear"
Syllables
1
Rank · US 2025
№ 58
First recorded
Ancient (Latin)

A name that means "bright, clear".

Claire is the French form of Clara — from the Latin clarus, meaning "clear," "bright," or "famous." Saint Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) was the founder of the Poor Clares, the female counterpart to the Franciscans.

Claire has been in the U.S. top 200 for over a century and sits at #58 today. The single-syllable French spelling is the cleanest of the variants (Clara, Clare, Klara, Chiara). A short word for daughters who are meant to be unmistakably themselves.

Bright. Clear. The name does not hide.

The name in its native script.

Claire
Transliteration
Claire
Pronunciation
/ klɛər /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Claire stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 58 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 47 in 2015
Babies named Claire · last year
4587 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1880
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · №47 NOW · №58

Claires before her.

Real people
Claire Foy
British actress, played Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown.
born 1984
Claire Danes
American actress, star of Homeland.
born 1979
In fiction
Claire Fraser
Heroine of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander.
1991 onward

Names connected to Claire.

The number behind Claire.

9

The Humanitarian

Claire reduces to nine — the number of bright generosity.

Why families chose this name.

"One syllable. Five letters. A whole meaning. We were done."
Sarah · Mother of one · Chicago