Clair is a unisex name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Clair means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Clair across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Clair has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Clair is a unisex name of Latin origin meaning “clear, bright, famous”. A variant of Clare or Claire, from Latin clarus.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 16,351 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 35 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 598 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 307 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Clair per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1923 (405/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1982 (48/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1979 (18/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (8/yr).
Clair has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1923, when it ranked #604 nationally (given to 405 babies that year).
Clara · Claire · Clare · Cleora · Claira · Klaire · Clary · Clorie
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