Meaning and history
Feminine form of the Latin name Clarus, meaning “clear, bright, famous,” and borne by a few early saints. The name was popularized by the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi (Chiara in Italian), a follower of Saint Francis who left her wealthy family to found the Poor Clares. In English, it has been used since the Middle Ages, first as Clare; the Latinate spelling Clara became more common in the 19th century and grew very popular, then declined through much of the 20th century as Claire gained favor in English-speaking countries, though it has since recovered somewhat.
20062006: 1,497 births, rank #231
2007: 1,555 births, rank #225
2008: 1,654 births, rank #204
2009: 1,650 births, rank #199
2010: 1,842 births, rank #167
20112011: 2,078 births, rank #151
2012: 2,336 births, rank #136
2013: 2,508 births, rank #131
2014: 2,860 births, rank #108
2015: 3,070 births, rank #98
20162016: 3,075 births, rank #100
2017: 3,045 births, rank #95
2018: 2,892 births, rank #103
2019: 2,951 births, rank #95
2020: 2,696 births, rank #103
20212021: 2,693 births, rank #102
2022: 2,553 births, rank #110
2023: 2,662 births, rank #98
2024: 3,072 births, rank #78
20252025: 3,601 births, rank #63
Clara has risen sharply in the modern US rankings, moving from #353 in 2000 to #63 in 2025. It now stands at #63 for girls. Its highest annual birth count came in 1918, with 5,778 births.