Claire
Claire is a girls' name of French origin meaning “bright, clear, famous.” It ranked #46 in the United States in 2025. The French form of Clara, from the Latin clarus meaning bright or famous.
how do you pronounce Claire?
KLAIR
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Claire mean?
The name Claire means “bright, clear, famous.” It comes from the French language tradition.
The French form of Clara, from the Latin clarus meaning bright or famous. Saint Clare of Assisi founded the Order of Poor Ladies in the 13th century.
where does the name Claire come from?
From the Latin clarus, meaning bright, clear or famous, by way of the French. The English variant Clara keeps the Latin ending, while Claire is the French form — the two are the same name at different stages of the same descent.
the history of Claire
St Clare of Assisi, who died in 1253, founded the order still known as the Poor Clares after being drawn to Francis of Assisi's preaching. She was later named patron of television, on the reasoning that she had once seen a distant Mass on the wall of her room while too ill to attend. The name has been in steady English use since the nineteenth century.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #46 |
| 2023 | #47 |
| 2022 | #48 |
| 2021 | #50 |
| 2020 | #52 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Claire?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Claire?
- Claire Danes
- Claire Foy
- Claire de Lune (musical piece)
what names are similar to Claire?
what names go well with Claire?
Sibling names that share Claire's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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