Claire (English)

Where does "Claire" come from?

The English given name 'Claire' was borrowed from French 'Claire'[1]. The French form traces back to Latin 'Clara'[2], which is the feminine form of 'clarus', meaning 'bright, shining, clear'[3]. It is also related to the medieval English vernacular form 'Clare', which was made famous by the 13th century Saint Clara of Assisi[3].

Full etymology tree

• Claire (English), 'A female given name from French.'
  • borrowed Claire (French), 'a female given name, equivalent to English Clara'
    • derived Clara (Latin)
      • derived clara (Latin), 'inflection of clārus:'
        • derived clarus (Latin), 'clear, bright'
  • contraction Clare (English), 'A female given name from Latin, more often spelled Claire from the 20th century onward.'
    • derived Clara (Latin)
      • derived clara (Latin), 'inflection of clārus:'
        • derived clarus (Latin), 'clear, bright'

Ancestors

• Claire (French)

Related words

• Eleanor (English)
• Grace (English)

Sources

1. Claire (English) - Wiktionary
2. Claire (French) - Wiktionary
3. Clare (English) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris