Clare

Meaning: Bright, clear, famous
Origin: Variant of Clara (from Latin)

Girl's name · #924 in the US (2025) · 2000s wave

Popularity over time

Clare reached its best rank, #320, in 1884 and ranked #924 in 2025. About 31,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Clare is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 25 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Clare ranks in other countries and regions.

#762 in Ireland (2025) · #1,153 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,057 in Canada (2024).

Famous Clares

Clare of Assisi — Italian saint (1194–1253)
Clare Hollingworth — British journalist (1911–2017)
Clare Boothe Luce — American writer, politician, ambassador, journalist and anti-Communist activist (1903–1987)
Clare Kramer — American actress
Clare Torry — British singer

In stories & tradition

Clare Bates — EastEnders (TV series)
Clare Devine — Hollyoaks (TV series)
Clare Arnold^da — Beverly Hills, 90210 (TV series)

What Clares become

Among 615 notable people named Clare:

Artists & writers appear 1.4× more often than among typical names — e.g. Clare Hollingworth, British journalist (1911–2017).

Spellings & nicknames

Clare is the less common spelling of Claire — about 7% of babies given the name are written this way; Claire itself ranked #68 in 2025.

Similar names: Klara · Emilie · Kahlani · Adore · Lilian · Celia

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

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