# Clare (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/clare/  
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 | /klɛɚ/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Claire |
| US babies named this | 34,510 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 3,054 / 31,456 (91% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,125, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Medieval English vernacular form of Clara, from the Latin clara, feminine of clarus (“bright, shining, clear”), a post-classical name made famous by the 13th century Saint Clara of Assisi. In Oxfordshire, from Clarora, a clay slope.

## What it means

Clare 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 | 414 | 679 |
| 2012 | 379 | 731 |
| 2013 | 377 | 728 |
| 2014 | 387 | 723 |
| 2015 | 389 | 731 |
| 2016 | 394 | 722 |
| 2017 | 315 | 867 |
| 2018 | 357 | 763 |
| 2019 | 344 | 803 |
| 2020 | 329 | 831 |
| 2021 | 329 | 837 |
| 2022 | 257 | 1,012 |
| 2023 | 260 | 985 |
| 2024 | 277 | 949 |
| 2025 | 283 | 924 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 13 | 2,337 |
| 1962 | 13 | 2,295 |
| 1963 | 13 | 2,322 |
| 1964 | 7 | 3,333 |
| 1965 | 9 | 2,821 |
| 1966 | 10 | 2,656 |
| 1967 | 10 | 2,633 |
| 1970 | 7 | 3,913 |
| 1971 | 6 | 4,478 |
| 1975 | 7 | 4,396 |
| 1976 | 5 | 5,751 |
| 1977 | 8 | 4,230 |
| 1978 | 5 | 5,955 |
| 1989 | 5 | 8,095 |
| 1999 | 5 | 10,183 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 12 | 2,150 |
| 2012 | 16 | 1,809 |
| 2013 | 11 | 2,313 |
| 2014 | 9 | 2,659 |
| 2015 | 5 | 4,103 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4,763 |
| 2017 | 8 | 2,925 |
| 2018 | 3 | 5,666 |
| 2019 | 5 | 4,001 |
| 2020 | 9 | 2,615 |
| 2021 | 10 | 2,499 |
| 2022 | 7 | 3,148 |
| 2023 | 9 | 2,689 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4,192 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5,927 |

## People named Clare

- Clare Hollingworth, British journalist (1911-2017)
- Clare Boothe Luce, American writer, politician, ambassador, journalist and anti-Communist activist (1903-1987
- Clare Kramer, American actress
- Clare Torry, British singer
- Clare Higgins, British actress
- Clare Grant, American actress
- Clare Carey, American actress (born 1967)
- Clare Polkinghorne, Australian association football player (born 1989)
- Clare Maguire, British singer-songwriter
- Clare Bowen, Australian actress and singer
- Clare-Hope Ashitey, English actress
- Clare Short, British politician (born 1946)

## 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.