The name Claude is a girl's name of French, Latin origin meaning "lame; enclosure".

French Names

Latin Names

French Names for Girls

Latin Names for Girls

6 Letter Girl Names

Names Ending in E for Girls

Names That Mean Enclosure

One Syllable Names for Girls

Names that Peaked in 1880

Animal Names for Girls

French Names that Start With C

Latin Names that Start With C

Saint Names: Patrons of the Arts

Photography Names Are Picture-Perfect

Vintage Boy Names: How To Find A Cool Old Name

60+ Good Names with Bad Meanings

Yes, we tend to think of Claude as a male name and Claudia and Claudette as the female, but this ancient clan name is used in France for girls as well as boys, and could make a distinctively chic <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/79/boy-names-for-girls">boy name for girls</a> here too. You may be surprised to know that Claude was in fairly regular use for American girls in the 1880's and nineties, reaching as high as 553 in 1880.

 In her native country, there have been some famous female Claudes, including Queen Claude of France (1499 to 1524), daughter of Louis XII, and another sixteenth century Claude de France, daughter of Henri II.

 Later Claudes include the daughter of Claude Debussy, Claude-Emma (called Chouchou), the leading female character in Tracy Chevalier's novel Lady and the Unicorn, French actress Claude Jade and photographer Claude Cahun, and the widow of French Prime Minister Georges Pompidou.

 While the "lame" meaning is the most widely acknowledged, some etymologists theorize that the name may relate to the word for enclosure or clause, an alternate meaning that may appeal to a child with a form of this otherwise-appealing name.

Geezer Names for Girls

Unusual Antique Baby Names 

Middle Names for Girls

Best One Syllable Girl Names

Boy Names for Girls

Claude

French

Latin

Nameberry

The name Claude is currently ranked #794 in U.S. births. and peaked for girls at #553 in 1880. It is currently rising in popularity. Claude is occasionally used for boys in 2024.

Claudette

Claudia

Claudie

The name Claude is a boy's name of French origin meaning "lame; enclosure".

French Names for Boys

6 Letter Boy Names

Names Ending in E for Boys

One Syllable Names for Boys

Names that Peaked in 1887

Boy Dog Names That Start With C

Boy Cat Names That Start With C

Dog Names That Start With C

Cat Names That Start With C

Animal Names for Boys

Claude is a soft-spoken French name that conjures up the pastel colors of Monet and harmonies of Debussy. In France, it is used for girls as well, in fact in the Tracy Chevalier novel Lady and the Unicorn, the protagonist is a female Claude.
 Claudes have appeared in such iconic movies as Chinatown and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Actor Simon Baker has a son named Claude Blue.
 A French classic, Claude was also a top 100 name in the U.S. until 1922.
 The attractive Italian version Claudio is occasionally heard in this country, and Claudius is the original Latin--which could be restored in the current Latin-loving climate. While "lame" is the most widely-acknowledged meaning, some etymologists theorize that the name may relate to the word for enclosure or clause, an alternate meaning that may appeal to a child with a form of this otherwise-appealing name.

Victorian Boy Names

Gender-Neutral Celebrity Baby Names

Catholic Baby Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

Old-Fashioned Cat Names

French Dog Names

Handsome Boy Names

Cat Names

Old People Names

Cool Classic Boy Names Below the Top 1000 

Victorian Names from the 1800s

Nameberry's Favorite Boy Names

Poodle Names

Alternatives to Kyle

Nameberry's Favorite Names

Old-Fashioned Boy Names

Old-Fashioned Names

Black Hero Names

Creative Dog Names

Dog Names

Names from Theater

Middle Names for Baby Girls and Boys

Nameberry's Favorite Vintage Names

Saint Names For Boys 

French Cat Names

French Bulldog Names

Confirmation Names for Boys (with Meanings and Definitions)

Rare French Boy Names

Cool Middle Names

Nerdy Boy Names: Geek Chic Cool

Middle Names for Boys (with Meanings and Popularity)

Fairy Tale Baby Names

Saint Names

Telegraph Baby Names 

The name Claude is currently ranked #889 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #46 in 1887. It is currently rising in popularity. The name is most popular in CLAUDE, CLAUDE, and CLAUDE. Claude is occasionally used for girls in 1993.

Claude

Claude Origin and Meaning

Claude Rank in US Top 1000

Popularity of the name Claude

20 Names Similar to Claude

Famous People Named Claude

The name Claude in Pop Culture

The name Claude in Nameberry Blog Posts

More Lists containing Claude

Advanced Search

Find your type.

Introducing the Nameberry App

Introducing the Nameberry App