Clara
Girl nameClara has been given to 301,540 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1918 and currently ranks #63 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈklɑːɹə/
Learned borrowing from Latin clāra, feminine of clārus (“bright, shining, clear”), a post-classical name made famous by the 13th century Saint Clara (Clare) of Assisi. Doublet of Clare and Claire.
Origin: Latin
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
301,540
Peak year
1918 (5,800 babies)
Rank in 2025
#63 for girls
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▲ +17%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Famous people named Clara
Clara Zetkin
Communist activist, and advocate for women's rights (1857–1933)
Clara Schumann
German musician and composer (1819–1896)
Clara Bow
American actress (1905–1965)
Patti Page
American country-pop singer (1927–2013)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Clara.
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