Claire (English)
Where does "Claire" come from?
The name Claire originated from the Latin name Clara, which carries the meaning of being 'bright' or 'clear.' It was absorbed into English by way of the French name Claire, which remains a linguistically transparent word for 'clear' in modern French. While it is primarily a female given name, it is also occasionally found as a variant of the English surname-derived male name Clare.
Full etymology tree
- Claire (English), 'A female given name from French.'
- borrowed from Claire (French), 'a female given name, equivalent to English Clara'
- inherited from Clara (Latin)
- borrowed from Claire (French), 'a female given name, equivalent to English Clara'
Direct ancestors
Updated March 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris