Clare is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Clare means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Clare across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Clare has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Clare is a girl name of Latin origin meaning “bright, clear, famous”. A variant spelling of Clara or Claire.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 34,510 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,115 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 3,176 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 263 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 4,477 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 55 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 Clare per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1999 (512/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (216/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1975 (185/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1982 (173/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (39/yr).
Clare has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1999, when it ranked #953 nationally (given to 715 babies that year).
Clara · Claire · Clair · Cleora · Clora · Klara · Claira · Klaire
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