Clara
/K-L-AA-R-AH/
Bright, clear, illustrious — Saint Clare of Assisi abandoned wealth to follow Saint Francis into radical poverty, founding an order of contemplative women who prayed while the Franciscan brothers preached. Her name shines with the transparency of a life stripped to essentials, the clarity that comes from wanting nothing the world offers and everything God promises
Get Clara's full report — patron saint, feast day & a portrait — freeQuick — what every Christian parent asks about Clara:
How well does Clara fit your family?
This page tells you what Clara means. The app tells you whether it's right for your baby — scored against your family & your heritage, and your baby's birth details.
Unlock Clara's score — free
Six signals — scored for your family & heritage, not in the abstract:
Meaning & origin
Yes — Clara is a Christian girl name of Latin origin, meaning “Bright, clear, illustrious — Saint Clare of Assisi abandoned wealth to follow Saint Francis into radical poverty, founding an order of contemplative women who prayed while the Franciscan brothers preached. Her name shines with the transparency of a life stripped to essentials, the clarity that comes from wanting nothing the world offers and everything God promises”.
Clara is a girl's name of Latin origin, traditionally used in Christian families. The name means "Bright, clear, illustrious — Saint Clare of Assisi abandoned wealth to follow Saint Francis into radical poverty, founding an order of contemplative women who prayed while the Franciscan brothers preached. Her name shines with the transparency of a life stripped to essentials, the clarity that comes from wanting nothing the world offers and everything God promises" and belongs to the Light cluster — names meaning radiance, illumination, and hope.
Common among Italian, American, European, Latino, Singaporean, Vietnamese families, Clara carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.
The patron saint & feast day behind Clara
Many Christian names carry a patron saint and a feast day (name day) — a tradition of choosing a name for the saint a child is born near, or one the family holds dear. Clara lives in this tradition of meaning and heritage.
NameRoot connects the dots. See Clara's patron saint, its feast day, and whether it aligns with your baby's birth — alongside its full family score.
See Clara's saint & feast day →What does Clara's numerology say?
Numerology assigns each name a single-digit destiny number by summing its letter values. Different schools use different mappings — NameRoot computes both so you can see how Clara resonates in either tradition.
Clara's destiny number is 8 — but a number only matters in context. The app matches it to your family's own numbers for a real compatibility read. See Clara's full reading →
Does Clara go with your family's names?
Clara breaks into 5 sounds: /K-L-AA-R-AH/. The real test isn't how it sounds alone — it's how it sounds beside the names already in your family: yours, your partner's, and any brothers or sisters. NameRoot scores that harmony, so Clara sits naturally next to a Mum and Dad like Michael & Anna, or a big sister named Gianna — no awkward clashes, no two names that blur together. Hear Clara beside your family's names →
Names similar to Clara
If Clara resonates with you, these names live in the same world — drawn from the same tradition, sharing the same meaning, or echoing a similar sound.
From the same tradition
Other Christian girl names, common in Italian families
Sharing the same meaning
Other Christian girl names from the Light cluster
Names that sound similar
Christian girl names that open with the same syllables as Clara
Explore more names
Keep exploring names like Clara — by tradition, by meaning, or by first letter.
Common questions about Clara
What does the name Clara mean?
Clara means "Bright, clear, illustrious — Saint Clare of Assisi abandoned wealth to follow Saint Francis into radical poverty, founding an order of contemplative women who prayed while the Franciscan brothers preached. Her name shines with the transparency of a life stripped to essentials, the clarity that comes from wanting nothing the world offers and everything God promises." It is a girl name of Latin origin, traditionally used in Christian families.
Is Clara a boy or girl name?
Clara is most commonly used as a girl name.
What is the origin of the name Clara?
Clara is of Latin origin, used in Christian tradition, commonly among Italian, American, European families.
Is Clara a Christian name?
Yes. Clara is a girl name traditionally used in Christian families, of Latin origin.
What does Clara mean in Latin?
Clara originates from Latin, where it means "Bright, clear, illustrious — Saint Clare of Assisi abandoned wealth to follow Saint Francis into radical poverty, founding an order of contemplative women who prayed while the Franciscan brothers preached. Her name shines with the transparency of a life stripped to essentials, the clarity that comes from wanting nothing the world offers and everything God promises."
What is the numerology of Clara?
Clara has a Pythagorean destiny number of 8 — material mastery and executive power.
See how Clara scores for your family
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