# Clara (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/clara/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “bright”, “shining”, “clear” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈklɛəɹə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Klara, Clarah, Claira |
| US babies named this | 301,540 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,016 / 300,524 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 10,045, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

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.

## What it means

Clara is grouped under light.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,078 | 151 |
| 2012 | 2,336 | 136 |
| 2013 | 2,508 | 131 |
| 2014 | 2,860 | 108 |
| 2015 | 3,070 | 98 |
| 2016 | 3,075 | 100 |
| 2017 | 3,045 | 95 |
| 2018 | 2,892 | 103 |
| 2019 | 2,951 | 95 |
| 2020 | 2,696 | 103 |
| 2021 | 2,693 | 102 |
| 2022 | 2,553 | 110 |
| 2023 | 2,662 | 98 |
| 2024 | 3,072 | 78 |
| 2025 | 3,601 | 63 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 6 | 3,486 |
| 1955 | 5 | 3,968 |
| 1956 | 10 | 2,654 |
| 1959 | 5 | 4,081 |
| 1963 | 5 | 4,137 |
| 1967 | 5 | 4,058 |
| 1971 | 5 | 5,027 |
| 1980 | 7 | 5,024 |
| 1983 | 5 | 6,409 |
| 1989 | 6 | 7,114 |
| 1990 | 5 | 8,335 |
| 2006 | 5 | 12,375 |
| 2011 | 7 | 9,814 |
| 2016 | 5 | 12,564 |
| 2019 | 5 | 12,522 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 236 | 212 |
| 2012 | 284 | 179 |
| 2013 | 381 | 139 |
| 2014 | 464 | 121 |
| 2015 | 605 | 91 |
| 2016 | 611 | 88 |
| 2017 | 614 | 87 |
| 2018 | 609 | 89 |
| 2019 | 586 | 91 |
| 2020 | 570 | 90 |
| 2021 | 574 | 94 |
| 2022 | 528 | 93 |
| 2023 | 527 | 90 |
| 2024 | 564 | 84 |
| 2025 | 610 | 77 |

## In other languages

- Armenian: Կլարա
- Catalan: Clara
- Chinese: 克拉拉
- Czech: Klára
- Danish: Clara
- Dutch: Klaartje, Klara
- Esperanto: Klara
- Finnish: Klaara
- French: Claire, Clara
- German: Clara, Klara, Cläre
- Greek: Κλαίρη, Κλάρα
- Hungarian: Klára
- Italian: Chiara, Clara
- Japanese: クララ
- Lithuanian: Klerė
- Norwegian: Klara
- Polish: Klara
- Portuguese: Clara
- Russian: Кла́ра
- Slovak: Klára

## 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)
- Clara Barton, American Civil War nurse (1821–1912)
- Clara Immerwahr, German chemist (1870-1915)
- Clara Morgane, French singer, model and TV host; former pornographic actress
- Clara Tauson, Danish tennis player
- Clara Hughes, Canadian speed skater and cyclist
- Clara Peeters, Flemish painter (1594-1657)
- Clara Kimball Young, American actress (1890–1960)
- Clara Reeve, English writer, novelist, translator (1729-1807)
- Clara Burel, French tennis player

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.