Klara
Feminine · “bright”
Klara is the German and Slavic of Clara — bright, in Latin — and the saint who carried it founded an order and was made patron of television.
How old is the name Klara?
Klara first appears in US birth records in 1884 — 141 years ago. The typical Klara alive today was born around 2012, making them about 13 years old. About 2,900 people named Klara are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Klara most popular?
Klara peaked in 1884, reaching #1024 nationally. Today it ranks #1796, 772 places below that high. See the whole 1884 chart.
Where it comes from
From clarus to Klara
The story of Klara
Clare of Assisi followed Francis in 1212 and founded the Poor Clares; she was named patron of television in 1958, because she is said to have seen a Mass on the wall of her room when too ill to attend. Klara is standard across Central Europe and Scandinavia. Emigration brought it to America, where it is in current use.
Meaning
bright, clear, famous
From the Latin clarus, 'bright', 'clear' or 'famous' — the same root as clarity, declare and clarion. Clara is its feminine. The Latin is ordinary and the meaning undisputed. The K spelling is standard in German, Hungarian, Czech, Polish and Scandinavian.
How the name formed
- clarus
- Clara
- Klara
Related forms: Klara · Klára · Klara · Clara
Pronouncing Klara
KLAH-rah
Two syllables, stress on the first. German and Swedish say it the same way; English Clara is often KLAIR-uh.
Nicknames for Klara
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
- 1884
- Most girls named
- 2022136 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1024reached in 1884
- Change vs 2023
- +1.8%112 in 2025, from 110
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.
Klara in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Klara in German — same name
- Klára in Hungarian — same name
- Klara in Swedish — same name
- Clara in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: Illinois, California, Texas.
Klaras among us
people named Klara are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 14,351 born in 2025 was named Klara
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Klara
- #1796
- Klara on the 2025 chart
- #74
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Klara went to 112 girls in 2025, but Clara is the same name said out loud. Together the 3 spellings went to 3,720, which makes it the 74th most-given girls’ name of the year — 1,722 places above the chart.
- Clara3,601
- Klara112
and 1 rarer spelling.
About 1 girl in 432 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 14,351 for Klara itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Klara 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
Where Klara is headed
Klara should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Klara beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Klara in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The bright meaning is transparent, undisputed and unusually good.
- A founder of a religious order carries it, with a genuinely charming patronage.
- It is standard across German, Hungarian, Czech, Polish and Swedish.
- Clara is the standard English spelling and is often said differently.
- The K will need dictating in English-speaking countries.
- Klarissa and Clarissa are close enough to cause confusion.
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What they receive
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Klara
Feminine · #1796 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Klaras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,900 people named Klara are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Klara?
- Klara is one of 2 recorded spellings. Clara is the more common one — 3,601 births in 2025 against 112 for Klara.
- How popular is the name Klara in 2025?
- Klara ranks #1796 among US girl names in 2025, with 112 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Klara?
- About 1 in every 14,351 US girls born in 2025 was named Klara — 112 in all.
- Will my child share the name Klara with classmates?
- Klara will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Klara
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Joni#1796 · Astraea#1796 · Jia#1796 · Hellen#1796 · Dailany#1796 · Ivie#1796 · Aysha#1796 · Brinlee#1796
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Klara? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Klara and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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