Clara: Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, & Inspiration

Updated August 7, 2024

Table of contents

Girl name origins & meanings

Latin : Bright

What does Clara mean and stand for?

The name Clara is of Latin origin and means "bright". It is the feminine version of the Latin name Clarus, which also meant bright.

Syllables: 2

Girl name variations

How Popular Is The Name Clara

Family name origins & meanings

Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, and northern Italian (Piedmont) : variant of Claro.
Dutch : metronymic from the female personal name Clara (see Clare).

Famous people who gave their babies this name

Ewan McGregor

Flea

Popularity

According to Social Security Administration data, Clara has recently become popular once again, breaking the top 100 for a second time in 2019. Clara was in the top 100 in 2015 and 2017. In 2020, it fell out of the top 100 once again.

However, it is the 9th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Clara was at its peak popularity in March 2020.

Clara has been popular since the 1940s and is slowly making a comeback. Actor Ewan McGregor was one of the first celebrities to adopt the name for his daughter. It has also been used for fictional characters in Back to the Future, The Nutcracker, Bewitched, and Doctor Who.