Claire
Meaning of Claire
Claire is the French feminine form of Clair, a name derived from the Latin clarus, meaning clear, bright, or famous. Standard name dictionaries agree on this Latin root, which entered English through French and is also the source of the English word clear. It has been used as a given name in English-speaking countries for centuries. The name is pronounced klair, transcribed /klɑr/ in American English and /kleɪə/ in British English; the difference lies mainly in the vowel sound.
Among its best-known bearers are the American actress Claire Danes and the British actress Claire Foy. Danes is a three-time Emmy winner, and Foy won a Golden Globe and two Emmys for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown. Both have kept the name visible in contemporary film and television.
In the United States, Claire ranked 587th in 1971 and climbed to a peak of 40th in 2016. It ranked 68th in 2025, with 3,487 babies given the name. The name remains familiar, but it has slipped since that recent high and is less common now than it was at its peak.
Pronunciation
American English
- Pronunced as klair (/klɑr/)
British English
- Pronunced as klair (/kleɪə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Claire
| Claire Curzan is an American Olympic swimmer who won silver in the 4x100 medley relay at Tokyo 2020, holds multiple junior world and American records in sprint butterfly, backstroke, and freestyle, and swims for the Virginia Cavaliers. |
| Claire Danes is an American actress whose career in film and television began in her teens, earning three Emmys, four Golden Globes, and a spot on the 2012 Time 100. |
| Patricia Claire Bloom is an acclaimed English stage and screen actress, a two time BAFTA winner and Drama Desk Award recipient with Emmy, Grammy, and Tony nominations, appointed CBE in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to drama. |
| Claire McDowell was an American silent film actress who appeared in 350 films from 1908 to 1945. |
| Claire Foy is a British actress best known for playing Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix series The Crown, earning a Golden Globe and two Emmy Awards. |
| Claire Holt is an Australian American actress best known as Rebekah Mikaelson in The Vampire Diaries universe, after debuting in H2O Just Add Water and appearing in Mean Girls 2, Pretty Little Liars, and Aquarius. |
| Claire Windsor was an American actress famed for her silent film roles. |
| Claire Josephine Baker is a Scottish Labour politician representing Mid Scotland and Fife in the Scottish Parliament since 2007. |
| Claire McLean is an Australian Paralympic cyclist and paratriathlete who represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics when paratriathlon debuted. |
| Claire Elizabeth Coffee is an American actress best known for playing Adalind Schade on the NBC fantasy drama Grimm. |
