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Clara

Clara is a girl's name of French origin meaning “clear, bright, famous.” In 2024 it was given to 3,060 girls in the United States.

Clara at a glance

Gender
Girl name
Origin
French · English & American · Italian
Meaning
“clear, bright, famous”
Pronunciation
/ˈklɑːɹə/
Also spelled
Late

About the name Clara

Clara belongs to the French and English & American tradition. Its meaning — “clear, bright, famous” — is the sense carried by its French roots, and it is the meaning we verified against published sources for this page. It travels in a few spellings: Late.

In the United States, Clara first appears in Social Security records in 1880. It climbed to its best-ever rank of #7 in 1885, and in 2024 3,060 babies received the name — 296,898 in total since 1880. Those are the official counts, not estimates.

Clara in US records

First recorded (US)
1880
Best US rank
#7 in 1885
Peak year
1918
Babies named Clara in 2024
3,060
Total since 1880
296,898

Spellings & short forms

Late

Similar names

More names from the French shelf:

KathleenFrenchAmyFrenchFrancesFrenchDianeFrenchJulieFrenchJoyceFrenchLaurenFrenchLillianFrench

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Clara mean?

Clara means “clear, bright, famous” in its French roots. We check every meaning against published sources before it appears here.

Is Clara a boy or girl name?

Clara is a girl name. In 2024, 3,060 babies received the name in the US.

What origin is the name Clara?

Clara comes from the French, English & American and Italian tradition. It is also spelled Late.

How popular is the name Clara?

Clara first appears in US records in 1880. Its best-ever ranking was #7 in 1885, and 3,060 babies were given the name in 2024.

How do you pronounce Clara?

Clara is pronounced /ˈklɑːɹə/ (IPA).

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Meaning and origin for this page were checked against this source. US popularity figures are from the Social Security Administration's public baby-names data. If you spot an error, write to [email protected] — accuracy is the whole point of this site, and corrections are made fast.