Claire is a distinctive choice, ranked #1021 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Claire in their class.
Origin & Meaning
Latin/French — Clear, bright, famous
💎
UK Rank 2024
#1021
US Rank #67
About the Name Claire
Claire is climbing rapidly up the charts, having climbed 106 places in just five years. Its best recorded rank was #90 in 1996 — and current momentum suggests it could challenge that mark again. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It briefly reached the UK top 100, though it typically sits a little further down the charts.
In terms of origin, Claire is rooted in Latin/French, where it means "Clear, bright, famous". Names with strong etymological stories tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles.
Claire is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #67, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Claire
Unlikely. With around 34 UK babies named Claire per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Claire in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Claire is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 106 places over the last five years to #1021 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
The name Claire has Latin/French origins and means "Clear, bright, famous". Names with clear etymological roots tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles and give children a story to tell about their name.
Notable people named Claire include: Claire Goose — Claire Goose is a Scottish actress who first gained attention playing Tina Seabrook on the long-running BBC One medical drama Casualty.; Claire Baker — Claire Josephine Baker is a Scottish Labour politician who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Mid Scotland and Fife region since...; Claire Tabouret — Claire Tabouret is a French artist based in Los Angeles, California, United States..
Claire ranks #67 in the US (2024), making it comfortably inside the American top 100. It's well-liked on both sides of the Atlantic.
34
UK babies named Claire (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 106 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Claire
Likely around 1 other Claire in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Claire
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Claire Goose is a Scottish actress who first gained attention playing Tina Seabrook on the long-running BBC One medical drama Casualty. Her other roles include DS "Mel" Silver in Waking the Dead, Insp.
Claire Josephine Baker is a Scottish Labour politician who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Mid Scotland and Fife region since 2007.
Claire Tabouret is a French artist based in Los Angeles, California, United States. She works with figurative subject matter, using loose expressive brushstrokes in a broad palette, mimicking both artificial and natural hues.
Claire Tomalin is an English journalist and biographer known for her biographies of Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Samuel Pepys, Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft.
Clara Mary Jane Clairmont, commonly known as Claire Clairmont, was the stepsister of English writer Mary Shelley and the mother of Lord Byron's daughter Allegra. She is thought to be the subject of a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Claire Antoinette Schade was an American vaudeville actress and toe dancer. Born in Bloomington, Illinois, she left school early, at the age of 9, for her career.