Clara

“Bright, clear, famous” — Latin origin

Girl's name · #63 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Clara was #7 in 1885, slipped to #594 by 1978, and has climbed back to #63 today. About 301,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Around the world: #12 in Denmark (2025) · #15 in Portugal (2023) · #19 in Finland (Swedish-sp.) (2025) · #20 in Canada (2024) · #39 in N. Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Claras

Clara Zetkin — Communist activist, and advocate for women's rights (1857–1933)
Clara Schumann — German musician and composer (1819–1896)
Clara Bow — American actress (1905–1965)
Clara Petacci — mistress of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (1912–1948)
Clara Barton — American Civil War nurse (1821–1912)

In stories & tradition

Clara Oswald — Doctor Who
Clara Cluck — Orphan's Benefit
Clara — The Torture Garden

What Claras become

Among 1,869 notable people named Clara:

Entertainers appear 1.64× more often than among typical names — e.g. Clara Schumann, German musician and composer (1819–1896).

Similar names: Lillian · Claire · Amara · Callie · Nora · Stella

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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