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The Latin Clarus was well used as a Roman cognomen, such as prefect Gaius Septicius Clarus (f. 2nd century AD). So too was the feminine form Clara. Aemilia Clara (fl. 2nd century AD) was the mother of Emperor Didius Julianus, and his daughter was named Didia Clara (b.153), reportedly the most beautiful woman in Rome.
Clarus was also borne by several early saints, including a 3rd century Bishop of Nantes and 7th century British-born saint who became a hermit in Normandy. The latter was known as St. Clair, and it is for him that several places in Frances are named (as well as St Cleer in Cornwall) and the origin of the surname Sinclair. Clair/Clare therefore had early use in the 12th century as a masculine name in France as the vernacular form of Clarus.
It is also in the 12th century that feminine Clara came into use in medieval Europe, which was then promoted thanks to St Clare of Assisi (1193-1253) whose cult spread quickly throughout Europe in the 13th century. Saint Clare (born Chiara Offreduccio, the Italian form of Clara) was one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi who founded the Order of Poor Ladies -- known later as Poor Clares.
During the Middle Ages, Clara was invariably used in Latin records, however, in reality, these women would have been called Clare. Clare was never especially common though it was used for both genders continually from the 13th century onwards.
The Latin Clara itself was revived in the late 18th century when Latinate names -- such as Maria, Cecilia, Sophia, Olivia, Julia -- became popular in romantic literature, and inspired new mothers up and down the country. The variant form Clarissa shot to fame in the mid-18th century with the publication of Samuel Richardson's novel Clarissa (1748).
Jane Austen used the name Clara for her character Clara Brereton, described as "elegantly tall, regularly handsome, with great delicacy of complexion, soft blue eyes, sweet modest and yet graceful address," in her unfinished novel Sanditon (1817).
Over the course of the 19th century, Clara saw a rise in popularity in England, managing to stay in the top 20 of England and Wales from 1860 until 1890. Some of this usage may have been inspired by acclaimed soprano singer Clara Novello (1818-1908) from 1833 onwards. Several girls were actually named "Clara Novello" from 1844 onwards, especially in the 1860s and 1870s. The name was mostly used in England, being used little in Scotland and Wales.
The name gradually declined in at the beginning of the 20th century, falling out of the top 100 after 1914.
1850: #32
1860: #19
1870: #19
1880: #19
1890: #33
1900: #43
1904: #59
1914: #76
These statistics may be an underestimate of how popular Clara was, as there are many examples of women in the 19th century being formally registered as Clarissa but going about their lives with the name Clara. Famously, Clara Barton (1821-1912), the founder of the American Red Cross was born Clarissa.
The decline in the use of Clara in the 20th century also coincides with the rise of Clare/Claire, due to fashions swinging back in favour of French forms of names (Diane, Julie, Marie etc), as Leslie Dunkling's data for girls named Clara and Clare/Claire in every 10,000 births:
| |
1900 |
1925 |
1935 |
1950 |
1955 |
1960 |
1965 |
1970 |
1975 |
1980 |
1985 |
1990 |
| Clara |
76 |
16 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
| Claire |
|
|
2 |
2 |
10 |
13 |
88 |
123 |
310 |
212 |
184 |
80 |
| Clare |
|
4 |
2 |
|
12 |
20 |
42 |
49 |
110 |
78 |
82 |
18 |
Click to enlarge
From 1996 to 2006, Clara stayed consistently around the #300 mark in England and Wales, after which it began to steadily rise.
From 2012-2015, popular British Sci-Fi series Doctor Who featured a feisty new companion, Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Coleman.
Coleman gained overnight fame and the name Clara rose from #179 (284 births) in 2012 to #139 (381 births) in 2013, an increase of nearly one hundred births. The following year it rose significantly again to #121 and finally broke into the top 100 in 2015 at #91 (605 births).
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