Clara
Clara is a girls' name of Latin origin meaning “bright, clear, illustrious.” It ranked #63 in the United States in 2025. From the Latin clarus meaning bright or famous.
how do you pronounce Clara?
KLAIR-ah
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Clara mean?
The name Clara means “bright, clear, illustrious.” It comes from the Latin language tradition.
From the Latin clarus meaning bright or famous. Saint Clara of Assisi and Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, are among its most celebrated bearers.
where does the name Clara come from?
The feminine of the Late Latin Clarus, meaning bright, shining or clear. Several early male Christian saints were called Clarus; the feminine form is post-classical and came into general use later.
the history of Clara
Wikipedia is precise about the turning point: the feminine form became popular after the thirteenth-century Saint Clare of Assisi, a follower of Francis who renounced a privileged background to found her own order. Clara Barton, who established the American Red Cross, gave the name a very different nineteenth-century bearer.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #63 |
| 2024 | #78 |
| 2023 | #98 |
| 2022 | #110 |
| 2021 | #102 |
| 2020 | #103 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Clara?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Clara?
- Clara Barton
- Clara Bow
- Clara Schumann
what names are similar to Clara?
what names go well with Clara?
Sibling names that share Clara's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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