Klaira
A feminine name derived from the Latin "clarus" meaning bright or clear.
Name Census estimates that about 290 living Americans carry the first name Klaira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Klaira today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Klaira births was 2017 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Klaira. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
290
~ 1 in 1,181,912 Americans
Peak year
2017
24 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,895
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Klaira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Klaira from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 168 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Klaira remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Klaira by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Klaira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Klairas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Klaira
The name Klaira is believed to have originated from the Latin word "clarus," which means "bright" or "clear." It is a feminine variant of the masculine name Clarus, which was used in ancient Rome. The earliest recorded use of the name Klaira dates back to the 12th century in Italy, where it was spelled "Chiara" and was a popular name among the Italian nobility.
During the Renaissance period, the name Klaira gained popularity across Europe, particularly in France, where it was spelled "Claire." In the 16th century, the poet Pierre de Ronsard wrote a famous sonnet dedicated to a woman named Claire, which helped to further popularize the name. The name also appeared in literary works by other notable writers of the time, such as William Shakespeare, who used the name Claribel in his play "The Tempest."
One of the most famous historical figures with the name Klaira was Saint Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), the founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, also known as the Poor Clares. She was a close friend of Saint Francis of Assisi and is revered as a patron saint of television and embroiderers. Another notable Klaira was Claire of Rimini (1283-1326), an Italian noblewoman who was the subject of Dante's famous poem "Inferno."
In the 17th century, the name Klaira was popularized in France by the writer Madame de Sévigné (1626-1696), who frequently used the name in her letters. In the 18th century, the French philosopher and writer Voltaire (1694-1778) had a long-term relationship with a woman named Marie-Claire Daumart, which further contributed to the name's popularity.
During the 19th century, the name Klaira gained popularity in the United States, where it was often spelled as "Clara." One of the most famous Americans with the name was Clara Barton (1821-1912), the founder of the American Red Cross. Another notable Klaira from this time period was the British novelist Clara Reeve (1729-1807), who was known for her Gothic fiction.
People
Klaira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Klaira as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Klaira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Klaira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 290 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Klaira going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,181,912 US residents.
Is Klaira a common name?
We classify Klaira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 292 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Klaira most popular?
The single biggest year for Klaira was 2017, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Klaira is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Klaira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Klaira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Klaira in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Klaira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Klaira in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Klaira can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Klaira as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.