Clara
The feminine form of the Latin Clarus, from clarus, meaning bright or clear, and by extension distinguished. It spread through Europe with the medieval cult of Saint Clare of Assisi.
Clara in 2025
Clara was given to 3,601 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 169th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 921 babies born.
The history of Clara
Clara reached its highest point in 1918, when 5,800 babies were given the name, ranking 78th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 17th, in 1890.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 301,540 babies have been named Clara. Half of them were born before 1927, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Clara by decade
| Decade | Babies named Clara | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 17,800 | 19 |
| 1890s | 25,545 | 17 |
| 1900s | 24,013 | 26 |
| 1910s | 44,502 | 44 |
| 1920s | 48,392 | 83 |
| 1930s | 31,872 | 113 |
| 1940s | 20,104 | 204 |
| 1950s | 12,800 | 338 |
| 1960s | 6,515 | 568 |
| 1970s | 3,295 | 892 |
| 1980s | 3,686 | 907 |
| 1990s | 6,271 | 695 |
| 2000s | 12,794 | 422 |
| 2010s | 26,674 | 234 |
| 2020s | 17,277 | 169 |
Where Clara is heading
Clara has risen 17% over the past decade, from 3,070 babies in 2015 to 3,601 in 2025.
Names like Clara
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Clara.