Girl nameCurrently #67 in the USFalling
Claire
KLAIR//klɛər//
1 syllablePeak year: 20166 lettersStarts with C
Meaning & origin
Clear, bright
Claire is the French form of Clara, from the Latin 'clarus', meaning clear or bright, and honors the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi, a follower of Saint Francis. Elegant and simple, it has remained a dependable favorite in English-speaking countries for decades.
Claire's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Claire |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 21 |
| 1881 | 23 |
| 1882 | 30 |
| 1883 | 38 |
| 1884 | 33 |
| 1885 | 57 |
| 1886 | 66 |
| 1887 | 58 |
| 1888 | 73 |
| 1889 | 62 |
| 1890 | 78 |
| 1891 | 84 |
| 1892 | 86 |
| 1893 | 97 |
| 1894 | 103 |
| 1895 | 118 |
| 1896 | 117 |
| 1897 | 113 |
| 1898 | 142 |
| 1899 | 132 |
| 1900 | 163 |
| 1901 | 127 |
| 1902 | 163 |
| 1903 | 175 |
| 1904 | 170 |
| 1905 | 203 |
| 1906 | 223 |
| 1907 | 225 |
| 1908 | 249 |
| 1909 | 269 |
| 1910 | 286 |
| 1911 | 347 |
| 1912 | 468 |
| 1913 | 526 |
| 1914 | 605 |
| 1915 | 860 |
| 1916 | 903 |
| 1917 | 988 |
| 1918 | 1,135 |
| 1919 | 998 |
| 1920 | 1,091 |
| 1921 | 1,281 |
| 1922 | 1,405 |
| 1923 | 1,467 |
| 1924 | 1,650 |
| 1925 | 1,569 |
| 1926 | 1,730 |
| 1927 | 1,901 |
| 1928 | 1,797 |
| 1929 | 1,759 |
| 1930 | 1,702 |
| 1931 | 1,692 |
| 1932 | 1,544 |
| 1933 | 1,409 |
| 1934 | 1,353 |
| 1935 | 1,163 |
| 1936 | 1,123 |
| 1937 | 995 |
| 1938 | 1,101 |
| 1939 | 956 |
| 1940 | 983 |
| 1941 | 983 |
| 1942 | 1,063 |
| 1943 | 1,025 |
| 1944 | 1,024 |
| 1945 | 936 |
| 1946 | 1,132 |
| 1947 | 1,202 |
| 1948 | 1,042 |
| 1949 | 1,107 |
| 1950 | 1,056 |
| 1951 | 1,082 |
| 1952 | 1,100 |
| 1953 | 1,105 |
| 1954 | 1,055 |
| 1955 | 1,001 |
| 1956 | 998 |
| 1957 | 1,041 |
| 1958 | 968 |
| 1959 | 1,008 |
| 1960 | 899 |
| 1961 | 811 |
| 1962 | 814 |
| 1963 | 676 |
| 1964 | 612 |
| 1965 | 526 |
| 1966 | 504 |
| 1967 | 389 |
| 1968 | 359 |
| 1969 | 384 |
| 1970 | 341 |
| 1971 | 297 |
| 1972 | 274 |
| 1973 | 412 |
| 1974 | 367 |
| 1975 | 397 |
| 1976 | 377 |
| 1977 | 472 |
| 1978 | 481 |
| 1979 | 541 |
| 1980 | 567 |
| 1981 | 680 |
| 1982 | 815 |
| 1983 | 857 |
| 1984 | 979 |
| 1985 | 1,193 |
| 1986 | 1,317 |
| 1987 | 1,345 |
| 1988 | 1,453 |
| 1989 | 1,691 |
| 1990 | 1,865 |
| 1991 | 1,826 |
| 1992 | 1,949 |
| 1993 | 1,902 |
| 1994 | 2,175 |
| 1995 | 2,474 |
| 1996 | 2,741 |
| 1997 | 3,039 |
| 1998 | 3,647 |
| 1999 | 3,734 |
| 2000 | 3,711 |
| 2001 | 3,642 |
| 2002 | 3,405 |
| 2003 | 3,571 |
| 2004 | 3,344 |
| 2005 | 3,300 |
| 2006 | 4,013 |
| 2007 | 4,619 |
| 2008 | 4,608 |
| 2009 | 4,832 |
| 2010 | 4,916 |
| 2011 | 4,900 |
| 2012 | 4,944 |
| 2013 | 4,660 |
| 2014 | 5,015 |
| 2015 | 4,837 |
| 2016 | 5,216 |
| 2017 | 4,707 |
| 2018 | 4,405 |
| 2019 | 4,130 |
| 2020 | 3,837 |
| 2021 | 3,708 |
| 2022 | 3,380 |
| 2023 | 3,199 |
| 2024 | 3,329 |
Claire through the decades
- Claire peaked in 2016, when 5,216 babies were named Claire in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Claire has fallen 11% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Claire currently ranks #67 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Claire
Variants & spellings
ClaraClare
Famous people named Claire
- Claire Danes — actress