Clara

“Bright, clear, famous” — Latin origin

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

Clara has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #7 (1885) · 300,524 babies named Clara all-time · 1 in 450 girls born in 2025.

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).

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