Claire
Claire or Clair is a given name of French origin. The word means clear in French in its feminine form.
Meaning & Origin of Claire
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Claire or Clair is a given name of French origin. The word means clear in French in its feminine form.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Claire
Claire first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 21 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2016, when 5,216 Claires were born — ranking #40 that year. As of 2026, Claire ranks #75 for baby girls with 3,100 births, falling sharply (-22%). In total, more than 215K Claires have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Claire
Phonetically similar names — useful when Claire is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Claire
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About the name Claire
Claire is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 215K births in the dataset. Claire's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #40. Use the chart and map above to compare Claire's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2016 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.