Clara
Clara or Klara is a given name. It is the feminine form of the Late Latin name Clarus which meant "clear, bright, famous". Various early male Christian saints were named Clarus; the feminine form became popular after the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi, one of the followers of Saint Francis, who renounced her privileged background and founded the order of Poor Clares.
Meaning & Origin of Clara
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Clara or Klara is a given name. It is the feminine form of the Late Latin name Clarus which meant "clear, bright, famous". Various early male Christian saints were named Clarus; the feminine form became popular after the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi, one of the followers of Saint Francis, who renounced her privileged background and founded the order of Poor Clares.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Clara
Clara first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 1,226 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 5,778 Claras were born — ranking #43 that year. As of 2026, Clara ranks #84 for baby girls with 2,975 births, holding steady (-1%). In total, more than 303K Claras 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 Clara
Phonetically similar names — useful when Clara 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 Clara
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About the name Clara
Clara is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 303K births in the dataset. Clara's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #7. Use the chart and map above to compare Clara's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1918 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- 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.