Unisex name ★ peaked 1999

Clare

Gender Unisex · 91% girls Rank 2025 #924 Trend ↓ Falling 18%

A unisex given name from Latin, more often spelled Claire from the 20th century onward.

Rank 2025
#924
among girls · ↑25 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
283
named Clare · +2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,679
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1999
512 babies
All-time total
34,510
#814 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Clare popularity over time

34,510 babies have been named Clare since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 277 90 367 37 – #320
1890s 455 112 567 57 +54% #351
1900s 607 140 747 75 +32% #408
1910s 1,655 624 2,279 228 +205% #402
1920s 2,339 853 3,192 319 +40% #433
1930s 1,879 493 2,372 237 -26% #423
1940s 2,128 364 2,492 249 +5% #475
1950s 2,880 239 3,119 312 +25% #479
1960s 2,245 91 2,336 234 -25% #538
1970s 1,076 38 1,114 111 -52% #1,052
1980s 2,039 5 2,044 204 +83% #711
1990s 3,968 5 3,973 397 +94% #500
2000s 4,396 – 4,396 440 +11% #535
2010s 3,777 – 3,777 378 -14% #679
2020s (to 2025) 1,735 – 1,735 289 -23% #831

Where Clare is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 274 0.17 outside top 500
2027 267 0.17 outside top 500
2028 261 0.16 outside top 500
2029 256 0.16 outside top 500
2030 252 0.16 outside top 500

Where Clare is most popular

Girls named Clare per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.173 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Kansas, and Wisconsin.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Clare born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Massachusetts 60 0.496 +186%
Kansas 27 0.468 +170%
Wisconsin 45 0.437 +152%
Maryland 45 0.425 +145%
Pennsylvania 91 0.385 +122%
Minnesota 38 0.352 +103%
Illinois 78 0.341 +97%
Connecticut 19 0.327 +88%
Virginia 55 0.323 +86%
Iowa 18 0.308 +78%
Ohio 71 0.299 +73%
Michigan 54 0.296 +71%
New Jersey 52 0.288 +66%
New York 106 0.268 +54%
Missouri 28 0.232 +34%
Indiana 30 0.214 +23%
Colorado 23 0.206 +19%
North Carolina 35 0.154 -11%
Nebraska 5 0.139 -20%
Washington 19 0.132 -24%
Florida 54 0.126 -27%
Nevada 5 0.108 -38%
Texas 86 0.107 -38%
California 88 0.105 -40%
Georgia 16 0.070 -59%
Louisiana 6 0.069 -60%
Arizona 6 0.043 -75%
Tennessee 5 0.032 -82%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Clare

Clare is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #924 in 2025 with 283 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 34,510 American babies have been named Clare, about 91% girls and 9% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1999, when 512 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Clare stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Clare?

The median living Clare is about 30 years old; half are between 17 and 62. An estimated 24 thousand people named Clare are alive in the United States today.

median 30 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Clare year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 283 #924 – –
2024 277 #949 – –
2023 260 #985 – –
2022 257 #1,012 – –
2021 329 #837 – –
2020 329 #831 – –
2019 344 #803 – –
2018 357 #763 – –
2017 315 #867 – –
2016 394 #722 – –
2015 389 #731 – –
2014 387 #723 – –
2013 377 #728 – –
2012 379 #731 – –
2011 414 #679 – –
2010 421 #681 – –
2009 405 #713 – –
2008 453 #674 – –
2007 473 #630 – –
2006 439 #659 – –
2005 412 #675 – –
2004 419 #652 – –
2003 417 #638 – –
2002 433 #597 – –
2001 460 #562 – –
2000 485 #535 – –
1995 388 #587 – –
1990 338 #657 – –
1985 208 #798 – –
1980 131 #1,078 – –
1975 110 #1,069 7 #4,396
1970 116 #1,052 7 #3,913
1965 180 #745 9 #2,821
1960 321 #538 16 #2,052
1955 318 #518 27 #1,491
1950 265 #496 33 #1,259
1945 217 #493 34 #1,127
1940 173 #522 28 #1,278
1935 167 #488 38 #1,043
1930 231 #445 59 #855
1925 254 #433 94 #659
1920 237 #435 103 #624
1915 171 #472 77 #663
1910 94 #407 18 #713
1905 67 #415 14 #639
1900 63 #424 10 #851
1895 47 #412 9 #748
1890 35 #431 5 #1,032
1885 27 #396 8 #712
1880 15 #435 8 #694

Famous people named Clare

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Clare of Assisi Clare of Assisi Foundress of the Franciscan Second Order and saint 1193–1253 · Medieval
  2. 2 Clare Bowen Clare Bowen Australian actress, singer, and dancer (born 1984) Contemporary
  3. 3 Clare Higgins Clare Higgins British actress (born 1955) Contemporary
  4. 4 Clare Carey American actress (born 1967) Contemporary
  5. 5 Clare Kramer Clare Kramer American actress b. 1974 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Clare Hollingworth Clare Hollingworth English journalist and author (1911–2017) Contemporary
  7. 7 Clare Maguire Clare Maguire English singer, songwriter, and actor (born 1988) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Clare, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Clare?

The median living Clare is about 30 years old. Half of all living Clares are between 17 and 62 years old.

How many people named Clare are alive today?

An estimated 24 thousand people named Clare are alive in the United States, based on 34,510 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Clare mean?

A unisex given name from Latin, more often spelled Claire from the 20th century onward.

How popular is the name Clare in 2025?

Clare ranked #924 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 283 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Clare?

34,510 babies have been named Clare in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Clare most popular?

Clare peaked in 1999, when 512 newborns received the name.

Is Clare a boy or girl name?

Clare is used for both: about 91% of babies named Clare have been girls and 9% boys.

Is the name Clare rising or falling?

Clare is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Clare become more popular?

Clare is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 252 girls named Clare in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Clare?

Well-known people named Clare include Clare of Assisi (religious figure), Clare Bowen (actor), Clare Higgins (actor).

Names like Clare

Names that sound and feel close to Clare: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Clare with similar names → More names starting with C →