Claris
Feminine · “clear”
Claris is given to both — 990 girls and 77 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Clarus in Latin meant clear before it meant famous. A clear sky, a clear voice, a clear argument — and then, by an easy step, a man everyone had heard of, since fame is a kind of visibility. Claris is the short French form of the names built on that word, and it belongs to the early twentieth century in America.
How old is the name Claris?
Claris first appears in US birth records in 1899 — 126 years ago. The typical Claris alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 200 people named Claris are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Claris most popular?
Claris peaked in 1918, reaching #1214 nationally. Today it ranks #14942, 13,728 places below that high. See the whole 1918 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From clarus to Claris
The story of Claris
Clara was a Roman name and became a major Christian one through Clare of Assisi, who founded an order and is a considerable figure in her own right. French produced Clarice, and English took it in the Middle Ages. Clarissa is a longer form that was given real currency by an eighteenth-century novel — one of the longest in the language — whose heroine carries it. Claris is the leanest member of the family and appears in American records from 1899, peaking in 1918.
Meaning
clear, bright, famous
From the Latin clarus, whose range runs from physically clear through audible to renowned — the English words clarity, declare and clarion all descend from it. Clara is the feminine adjective used as a name, and Clarice and Claris are the French forms that English borrowed.
How the name formed
- clarus
- Clara
- Clarice
- Claris
Related forms: Clarisse · Clarissa · Clara
Pronouncing Claris
KLAR-iss
Two syllables, stress on the first. Some families say kluh-RISS with the weight at the back, following the French Clarisse; both appear in the older records.
Nicknames for Claris
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1899
- Most girls named
- 192235 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1214reached in 1918
- Change vs 2022
- −28.6%5 in 2025, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Claris in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Clarisse in French — same name
- Clarissa in Italian — related form
- Clara in Spanish — related form
Clariss among us
people named Claris are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 321,453 born in 2025 was named Claris
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Delight test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Claris's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Delight climbed just as high around 1902, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Delight's path sketches the road Claris is walking now.
Claris sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Claris beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Claris in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The Latin word behind it is documented and its shift from clear to famous is a good line.
- Clare is available as a short form and has a substantial saint attached.
- Six letters, two syllables, and readable on sight.
- It is recorded for boys as well as girls, though nearly all are girls.
- Clarice and Clarissa are both commoner and will be written instead.
- It belongs firmly to the early twentieth century and carries that flavor.
- The stress is unsettled between the front and the back.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Claris to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Claris? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Claris
Feminine · #14942 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Clariss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Claris are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Claris in 2025?
- Claris ranks #14942 among US girl names in 2025, with 5 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Claris?
- About 1 in every 321,453 US girls born in 2025 was named Claris — 5 in all.
- Will my child share the name Claris with classmates?
- Claris will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Claris
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Hester#14942 · Lyda#14942 · Zula#14942 · Zona#14942 · Ula#14942 · Belva#14942 · Lucetta#14942 · Leala#14942
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Claris? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Claris and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle