Names That Mean Clear

Clara is a strong, lovely girls' name that's always ranked among the US Top 1000 girl names but has been climbing since the turn of this century. Now holding steady around Number 100, Clara is a modern classic, neither too popular nor too unusual.

Claire, luminous, simple, and strong, is one of those special names that is familiar yet distinctive, feminine but not frilly, combining historical depth with a modern edge. And though Claire is enjoying revived popularity, it will never be seen as trendy. Claire is also a great middle name choice.

Chiara is a lovely and romantic Italian name that's familiar but not widely used here: a real winner. You might consider Chiara instead of Claire, Clara, Cara, or even Keira.

Clarissa, the daintier version of Claire, has a long literary history of its own, having been featured in the novels of Samuel Richardson, Charles Dickens, and Virginia Woolf—Clarissa was the title character of Mrs. Dalloway—not to mention the 1990s teen sitcom, Clarissa Explains it All.

This is the original, more prosaic spelling, but the airier Claire now dominates.

If you’re a fan of the annual animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, you’ll recognize the name of Rudolph’s beautiful doe sweetheart, pronounced cla-REES—uncomfortably close to the Silence of the Lambs pronunciation. Clarice was the name of the wife of Lorenzo de' Medici, and Clarice Cliff was a famed British ceramics artist. Though a Top 300 name from 1906 to 1934, modern parents might prefer the more delicate Clarissa.

Sweet and springy Japanese name.

Clarity is one of the lightest of the newly rediscovered virtue names, with a bit of three-syllable sparkle, old-fashioned charm and a clear vision for the future. Clarity is a very desirable quality in this confusing world and it also, unlike some other newly coined word names, has real meaning and history as a name.

A common Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean unisex name, and the name of a culturally rich Chinese dynastic period.

A poetic name first used in Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" in 1596, it had a literary vogue in the 18th century, especially favored by Robert Burns. "inda" names--Melinda, Belinda, Linda" are not particularly in right now.

The name of a hero in Hindu texts, the son of the god Indra and the princess Kunti, close friend of Lord Krishna, and considered the greatest warrior on earth.

A springtime baby name appropriate for either sex.

Pretty, delicate and crystal clear, with the readymade nickname of Lucy.

A sweet and clear Hopi name with a lovely natural meaning to match.

This simplified spelling of Claire does not improve on the more popular version.

A short and straightforward name for a springtime child.

One of the few masculine names to derive from a feminine name — in this case, Clara. Clarus is the name of a French saint, the patron saint of tailors.

The pronunciation is different enough -- it's clar-EE-sa -- to make this feel like a distinct name. But an improvement on Claire or Clarissa? Not really.

An unusual combination name which feels fresher than most, thanks to the up-and-coming vintage star Clara.

Alternate Romanization of Haru, a classic Japanese boy name.