Clair

Did you know?

A few things about Clair you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Clair

Clair Cameron Patterson

American chemist and geochemist (1922–1995)

Choose Clair and your child shares a first name with Clair Cameron Patterson, an American chemist and geochemist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Clair, like who?” Clair Cameron Patterson's Wikipedia article is available in 38 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Clair Cameron Patterson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 55,556 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Clair, 29 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Clair would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryClair has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Clairs, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1899, when it ranked #835. Today it's #4,661, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendClair has slipped 303 places over the last five years and now sits at #4,661. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningClair is a French form of Claire, which means “clear, bright”.

About the name Clair

Clair is a girl name of French origin meaning “clear, bright”. It has 5 letters and 1 syllable, starting with C and ending in “-air”. US birth records list Clair for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 135 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1899, when it ranked #835 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #4,661, with 29 babies.

Origin:French names