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Claire (given name)

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Claire
GenderTraditionally male, but in modern times more often female
Origin
Word/nameFrench/Latin
Meaningbright, clear
Other names
Related namesClair, Clare, Clara, Clarissa
[1]

Claire or Clair is a given name of Latin origin via French; the name could mean "clear" or "famous",[1] and is pronounced /ˈklɛər/. The word still means clear in French.[2]

Its popularity in the United Kingdom peaked during the 1970s and 1980s; in 1974 in was the second most popular female first name and in 1984 was still sixth, but by 1997 it had fallen out of the top 100 after several years of sharply declining popularity.[3]

The name was traditionally considered male, specifically when spelled Clair;[4] however, it is now commonly used as a female name and is usually spelled Claire.

Women with the given name Claire

Fictional characters

Men with the given name Claire

  • Clair Cameron Patterson (1922 – 1995), American geochemist, who developed the lead-lead isotopic dating method and used it to calculate the age of the Earth as 4.55 billion years

Fictional characters

  • Claire Stanfield, from the light novel series Baccano!

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Levinson, Sarena. "Claire", Wiki.Name, accessed August 8, 2010
  2. ^ WordReference.com
  3. ^ BabyNames.co.uk
  4. ^ Behind the Name - Clair