Claire
Claire was given to 3,487 girls in 2025, #68 among girls’ names; 214,123 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 168,000 Americans named Claire and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (79% of everyone recorded); the median is 20 years old and half are between 11 and 33.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Claire by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Claire mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Claire is “a female given name from French.”
Also “a male given name transferred from the surname, of rare usage, variant of Clare.”
Borrowed from French Claire, also a spelling variant of the English Clare.
/ˈklɛɚ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Claire?
#68 among girls’ names, 2025
Claire fell from #49 in 2015 to #68 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 2.7 to 2.2 per 1,000.
5,216 babies in 2016, the peak
Claire peaked in 2016, when 5,216 girls were given it, #40 among girls’ names. The 3,487 births of 2025 are 67% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,487 | #68 | 2.2 |
| 2024 | 3,337 | #67 | 2.1 |
| 2023 | 3,200 | #68 | 2.0 |
| 2022 | 3,380 | #66 | 2.1 |
| 2021 | 3,704 | #59 | 2.3 |
| 2020 | 3,837 | #58 | 2.4 |
| 2019 | 4,130 | #55 | 2.5 |
| 2018 | 4,406 | #50 | 2.6 |
| 2017 | 4,702 | #49 | 2.7 |
| 2016 | 5,216 | #40 | 2.9 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 4,837 | #49 | 2.7 |
| 2014 | 5,015 | #44 | 2.8 |
| 2013 | 4,661 | #50 | 2.7 |
| 2012 | 4,944 | #45 | 2.8 |
| 2011 | 4,900 | #50 | 2.8 |
| 2010 | 4,917 | #53 | 2.8 |
| 2009 | 4,825 | #53 | 2.6 |
| 2008 | 4,601 | #62 | 2.4 |
| 2007 | 4,614 | #66 | 2.4 |
| 2006 | 4,013 | #86 | 2.1 |
| 2005 | 3,293 | #95 | 1.8 |
| 2004 | 3,333 | #99 | 1.8 |
| 2003 | 3,571 | #92 | 2.0 |
| 2002 | 3,406 | #95 | 1.9 |
| 2001 | 3,642 | #82 | 2.0 |
| 2000 | 3,711 | #86 | 2.0 |
| 1999 | 3,734 | #86 | 2.1 |
| 1998 | 3,642 | #91 | 2.1 |
| 1997 | 3,039 | #108 | 1.7 |
| 1996 | 2,741 | #116 | 1.6 |
| 1995 | 2,474 | #129 | 1.4 |
| 1994 | 2,175 | #149 | 1.2 |
| 1993 | 1,898 | #165 | 1.0 |
| 1992 | 1,949 | #158 | 1.1 |
| 1991 | 1,819 | #162 | 1.0 |
| 1990 | 1,855 | #158 | 1.0 |
| 1989 | 1,671 | #171 | 0.91 |
| 1988 | 1,446 | #190 | 0.81 |
| 1987 | 1,335 | #202 | 0.77 |
| 1986 | 1,307 | #198 | 0.76 |
| 1985 | 1,187 | #220 | 0.69 |
| 1984 | 979 | #254 | 0.58 |
| 1983 | 857 | #275 | 0.51 |
| 1982 | 815 | #299 | 0.48 |
| 1981 | 680 | #343 | 0.41 |
| 1980 | 567 | #403 | 0.34 |
| 1979 | 539 | #401 | 0.34 |
| 1978 | 481 | #420 | 0.31 |
| 1977 | 472 | #430 | 0.31 |
| 1976 | 377 | #485 | 0.26 |
| 1975 | 388 | #475 | 0.27 |
| 1974 | 367 | #483 | 0.25 |
| 1973 | 407 | #453 | 0.28 |
| 1972 | 274 | #585 | 0.18 |
| 1971 | 297 | #587 | 0.18 |
| 1970 | 341 | #547 | 0.20 |
| 1969 | 377 | #501 | 0.22 |
| 1968 | 353 | #515 | 0.22 |
| 1967 | 389 | #480 | 0.24 |
| 1966 | 499 | #420 | 0.29 |
| 1965 | 526 | #403 | 0.30 |
| 1964 | 607 | #394 | 0.32 |
| 1963 | 676 | #372 | 0.35 |
| 1962 | 807 | #328 | 0.41 |
| 1961 | 811 | #331 | 0.40 |
| 1960 | 899 | #315 | 0.44 |
| 1959 | 995 | #284 | 0.49 |
| 1958 | 962 | #288 | 0.48 |
| 1957 | 1,030 | #271 | 0.50 |
| 1956 | 985 | #277 | 0.49 |
| 1955 | 993 | #273 | 0.51 |
| 1954 | 1,031 | #258 | 0.53 |
| 1953 | 1,090 | #244 | 0.58 |
| 1952 | 1,078 | #241 | 0.58 |
| 1951 | 1,060 | #239 | 0.59 |
| 1950 | 1,038 | #234 | 0.61 |
| 1949 | 1,090 | #226 | 0.64 |
| 1948 | 1,023 | #232 | 0.60 |
| 1947 | 1,180 | #216 | 0.67 |
| 1946 | 1,115 | #212 | 0.71 |
| 1945 | 916 | #211 | 0.70 |
| 1944 | 1,006 | #202 | 0.76 |
| 1943 | 1,001 | #207 | 0.72 |
| 1942 | 1,027 | #199 | 0.76 |
| 1941 | 953 | #196 | 0.79 |
| 1940 | 950 | #194 | 0.83 |
| 1939 | 931 | #189 | 0.85 |
| 1938 | 1,074 | #184 | 1.0 |
| 1937 | 959 | #191 | 0.90 |
| 1936 | 1,083 | #176 | 1.0 |
| 1935 | 1,124 | #171 | 1.1 |
| 1934 | 1,309 | #155 | 1.3 |
| 1933 | 1,372 | #144 | 1.4 |
| 1932 | 1,506 | #140 | 1.4 |
| 1931 | 1,627 | #139 | 1.5 |
| 1930 | 1,654 | #136 | 1.5 |
| 1929 | 1,699 | #134 | 1.5 |
| 1928 | 1,734 | #136 | 1.5 |
| 1927 | 1,836 | #136 | 1.5 |
| 1926 | 1,679 | #144 | 1.4 |
| 1925 | 1,503 | #159 | 1.2 |
| 1924 | 1,583 | #160 | 1.3 |
| 1923 | 1,392 | #167 | 1.2 |
| 1922 | 1,339 | #167 | 1.1 |
| 1921 | 1,210 | #182 | 1.0 |
| 1920 | 1,019 | #194 | 0.85 |
| 1919 | 953 | #197 | 0.84 |
| 1918 | 1,072 | #186 | 0.93 |
| 1917 | 926 | #200 | 0.86 |
| 1916 | 838 | #208 | 0.80 |
| 1915 | 809 | #204 | 0.82 |
| 1914 | 570 | #219 | 0.75 |
| 1913 | 490 | #212 | 0.78 |
| 1912 | 440 | #212 | 0.79 |
| 1911 | 333 | #213 | 0.80 |
| 1910 | 274 | #233 | 0.69 |
| 1909 | 259 | #218 | 0.75 |
| 1908 | 235 | #224 | 0.70 |
| 1907 | 206 | #230 | 0.65 |
| 1906 | 213 | #213 | 0.72 |
| 1905 | 184 | #232 | 0.63 |
| 1904 | 163 | #244 | 0.59 |
| 1903 | 164 | #233 | 0.63 |
| 1902 | 156 | #244 | 0.59 |
| 1901 | 122 | #266 | 0.51 |
| 1900 | 156 | #262 | 0.52 |
| 1899 | 121 | #260 | 0.52 |
| 1898 | 133 | #259 | 0.51 |
| 1897 | 105 | #275 | 0.45 |
| 1896 | 106 | #283 | 0.45 |
| 1895 | 118 | #259 | 0.51 |
| 1894 | 96 | #283 | 0.43 |
| 1893 | 92 | #277 | 0.43 |
| 1892 | 86 | #292 | 0.41 |
| 1891 | 84 | #267 | 0.45 |
| 1890 | 72 | #291 | 0.38 |
| 1889 | 62 | #307 | 0.35 |
| 1888 | 73 | #270 | 0.41 |
| 1887 | 58 | #278 | 0.40 |
| 1886 | 61 | #265 | 0.42 |
| 1885 | 49 | #284 | 0.37 |
| 1884 | 33 | #342 | 0.26 |
| 1883 | 38 | #287 | 0.34 |
| 1882 | 30 | #324 | 0.28 |
| 1881 | 23 | #339 | 0.25 |
| 1880 | 21 | #354 | 0.23 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Claire a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 214,123 Americans recorded as Claire, 99% are girls and 1% boys. In 2025 it went to 3,487 girls; SSA lists no boys with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Claire: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Claire, and how old are they?
168,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 79% of the 214,123 Americans ever recorded as Claire. The median Claire alive today is 20 years old; half are between 11 and 33.
The 2020 Census counted 163,948 people named Claire (163,298 women and girls, 650 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 155,126 born in the U.S. The Census count is 6% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 5,780 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 14,300 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 6,210 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 24,600 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 63,600 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 53,600 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Claire born?
The states with the most babies named Claire are California, Texas and New York, with 24% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 342 | #83 | 0.8× |
| Texas | 323 | #77 | 0.7× |
| New York | 180 | #75 | 1.2× |
| Florida | 161 | #102 | 0.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 153 | #54 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 143 | #54 | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 137 | #59 | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 128 | #63 | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 122 | #48 | 1.0× |
| New Jersey | 112 | #60 | 1.3× |
Where Claire is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Claire is most over-represented in Massachusetts: since 1910 it was given 2.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Claire with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 572,329 babies since 1880, Claire is the second most given (37% of them). In 2025 it was given to 3,487 of their 7,572 babies (46%), again the second most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Claire
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Claire and names like it
- Compare Claire and ClaraBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sClaire peaked in 2016.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Claire since 1910.
- French namesWiktionary’s origin for Claire: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2016The year the most babies were named Claire.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Claire alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with CMost given first.