Unisex name · since 1880

Clare

31,456 babies named Clare in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1998. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#814 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#924 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
31,456
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade

Yes -- Clare is the #924 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 31,456 recorded since 1880.

Social Security Administration records show Clare recorded 31,456 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #924 nationally today, ahead of 95% of girls, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #814 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #924 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 31,456 born since 1880
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Clare ranks #814 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #924 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 31,456 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.

#814 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#924 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
31,456
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%94.6%
Clare vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Clare's 31,456 recorded births place it above 98.87% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

45 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

45 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.

How Clare compares

31,456 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Clare's all-time total is 84x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Clare Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 31,456 376 567,345
Peak-year births 510 21 19,840

Clare's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Clare splits its recorded history at 1953: 68% of all births land in the more recent half, 32% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1880 (15 births) -- compare that against the 1998 peak of 510 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Clare popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1998)
510
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
0200400600 188018991918193719561975199420132025 283

Clare popularity over time - boys

3,054 total births recorded since 1880 (Clare as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 3,054 births
050100150 188018931905191719291941195319651999 5

Clare by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (4,396 births, 14% of the file).

2000s was Clare's strongest decade.

4,396 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.

Clare births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 4,396 births (14% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Clare compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Clare's total volume

Clare vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -57, 9.1%-107, 5.4%-146, 2.5%-35, 5.8%-110, 4.9%-39, 7.2%-49, 5.5%-54, 3.5%-60, 5.4%-118, 7.9%-52, 6.6%-76, 3.8%-143, 4.9%-64, 5.3%-146, 2.3%Clare-146, 1.6%Clare
Clare vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Clare by state

Where Clare concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Clare
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
3,871 12.3%
#2 Pennsylvania
2,738 8.7%
#3 California
2,198 7.0%
#4 Illinois
2,032 6.5%
#5 Massachusetts
1,662 5.3%
#6 New Jersey
1,492 4.7%
#7 Ohio
1,399 4.4%
#8 Michigan
1,134 3.6%
New York share of Clare's total US births 12.3%
Even split

3,871 of 31,456 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.

Clare appears in 45 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Clare? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 31,456 babies named Clare. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #814 of 72,339 girls' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #924 of 17,297 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1998, with 510 births.
Where does Clare sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Clare ranks #814 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #924 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Clare most popular? ▼
Clare was most popular in the 2000s decade with 4,396 total births. The single peak year was 1998.
Where is Clare most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Clare are New York (3,871 births), Pennsylvania (2,738 births), California (2,198 births).
Is Clare a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Clare is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 31,456 births, and as a boy's name it has 3,054 births.
How long has the name Clare been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Clare since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Clare? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Clara, Claire, Claudia, Clarissa, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Clare's data

  • Clare's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (4,396 total births) through the 2020s (1,735) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • New York records the most Clares (3,871 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Clare

Nearby Names Like Clare

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Clare

Clara Girl
#63 300,524 births
Claire Girl
#68 211,919 births
Claudia Girl
#1096 128,318 births
Clarissa Girl
#1115 40,484 births
Clarice Girl
#3100 25,474 births

Compare Clare side by side: Clare vs Clara Clare vs Claire Clare vs Claudia

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Clare

Emmeline #923
6,152 births · Peak 2017
Elisabeth #925
48,018 births · Peak 2001
Winifred #922
45,094 births · Peak 1918
Ivey #926
4,917 births · Peak 2024
Giana #921
10,431 births · Peak 2010
Maddie #927
6,253 births · Peak 2023
Cheyenne #920
70,732 births · Peak 1996
Etta #928
43,268 births · Peak 1920

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Clare: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Clare draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.