How popular is the baby name Clara in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Clara.

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Popularity of the baby name Clara


Posts that mention the name Clara

Popular baby names in Sweden, 2022

Flag of Sweden
Flag of Sweden

Sweden, home to over 10 million people, is easily the most populous of the five Nordic countries. (Denmark, Finland, and Norway each contain between 5 and 6 million people; Iceland contains fewer than half a million.)

Last year, Sweden welcomed 104,734 babies. What were the most popular names among these babies? Astrid and William.

Here are Sweden’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Astrid, 603 baby girls
  2. Maja, 601
  3. Alma, 596
  4. Vera, 592
  5. Freja, 584
  6. Leah, 570
  7. Ella, 563
  8. Alice, 552
  9. Selma, 540
  10. Lilly, 530
  11. Elsa, 528
  12. Ellie, 513
  13. Ines, 512
  14. Olivia, 504
  15. Stella, 482
  16. Wilma, 474
  17. Signe, 456
  18. Ebba, 453
  19. Ester, 433
  20. Clara, 429
  21. Saga, 412
  22. Alva, 403
  23. Agnes, 402
  24. Alicia, 383
  25. Mila, 378
  26. Juni, 364
  27. Molly, 354
  28. Leia, 349 (tie)
  29. Luna, 349 (tie)
  30. Iris, 348
  31. Hedda, 339
  32. Julia, 321
  33. Alba, 320
  34. Ellen, 302
  35. Sigrid, 292
  36. Elvira, 289
  37. Nora, 283
  38. Edith, 276 (tie)
  39. Sara, 276 (tie)
  40. Meja, 273
  41. Celine, 256
  42. Nellie, 253
  43. Lova, 252
  44. Livia, 251 (tie)
  45. Nova, 251 (tie)
  46. Lykke, 250
  47. Rut, 248
  48. Elise, 244 (tie)
  49. Lo, 244 (tie)
  50. Sofia, 235

Boy Names

  1. William, 690 baby boys
  2. Liam, 679
  3. Noah, 677
  4. Hugo, 643
  5. Oliver, 629
  6. Lucas, 616
  7. Nils, 579
  8. Matteo, 571
  9. Valter, 566
  10. August, 565
  11. Elias, 559 (tie)
  12. Leon, 559 (tie)
  13. Adam, 556
  14. Leo, 545
  15. Ludvig, 507
  16. Alfred, 502
  17. Oscar, 490
  18. Sam, 488
  19. Theo, 474
  20. Otto, 469
  21. Arvid, 450
  22. Harry, 436
  23. Frans, 429
  24. Charlie, 424
  25. Elliot, 407 (tie)
  26. Isak, 407 (tie)
  27. Malte, 401
  28. Theodor, 395
  29. Vincent, 383
  30. Elton, 371
  31. Olle, 366
  32. Louie, 363
  33. Benjamin, 358
  34. Gabriel, 351
  35. Ebbe, 343
  36. Alexander, 338
  37. Adrian, 337 (tie)
  38. Axel, 337 (tie)
  39. Love, 328
  40. Henry, 325
  41. Tage, 317
  42. Filip, 315 (tie)
  43. Ted, 315 (tie)
  44. Noel, 310
  45. Josef, 300
  46. Mohammed, 298
  47. Melvin, 297
  48. Jack, 287
  49. Aron, 286
  50. Viggo, 281

Astrid and William rose from 9th place and 2nd place (respectively) in 2021 to dethrone former #1 names Alice and Noah in 2022.

The girls’ top 100 included Sally (53rd), Tuva (65th), Idun (86th), and Eira (98th).

The boys’ top 100 included Sixten (67th), Vide (81st), Folke (86th), and Algot (90th).

The names in Sweden’s top 100 that rose the fastest from 2021 to 2022 were Ronja and Ture. Ture’s rise was particularly impressive:

  • 2022: 251 baby boys named Ture in Sweden [rank: 58th]
  • 2021: 163 baby boys named Ture in Sweden [rank: 84th]
  • 2020: 175 baby boys named Ture in Sweden [rank: 81st]
  • 2019: 171 baby boys named Ture in Sweden [rank: 84th]

The names that saw the steepest drops in usage were Emilia and Sigge.

Finally, some strange news:

Statistics Sweden will stop producing name statistics as of 2024. The reason for this is that Statistics Sweden will prioritize the production of other statistics.

So, will these 2022 rankings be the last set of Swedish rankings we see for a while? (Perhaps a long while?)

How interesting that, not long after Canada decides to begin releasing national rankings, Sweden decides to stop releasing national rankings…

Sources: Name statistics – Statistics Sweden, Population statistics – Statistics Sweden, Nordic Countries – Wikipedia

Image: Adapted from Flag of Sweden (public domain)

Popular and unique baby names in Uruguay, 2021

Flag of Uruguay
Flag of Uruguay

The country of Uruguay, located in the southern region of South America, shares land borders with Argentina and Brazil.

According to Uruguay’s Dirección Nacional de Identificación Civil (DNIC), the most popular baby names in the country in 2021 were María and Juan.

Uruguay’s baby name rankings consist of girl and boy names mixed together on a single list. The data mostly represents first-name usage, but does include some second-name usage as well. (This is because the rankings are created from Uruguayan identity card data, and Uruguayans are permitted to add up to two given names to their ID cards.)

That said, here are Uruguay’s top 100+ baby names of 2021:

  1. María, 1,260 babies
    • María was used 858 times as a first name and 402 times as a second name.
  2. Juan, 1,023
    • Juan was used 980 times as a first name and 43 times as a second name.
  3. Benjamín, 925
  4. Maria, 889
  5. Isabella, 798
  6. Mateo, 778
  7. Valentina, 725
  8. Emma, 722
  9. Martina, 706
  10. Catalina, 658
  11. Julieta, 644
  12. Felipe, 631
  13. Sofía, 624
  14. Valentín, 615
  15. Ezequiel, 561
  16. Nicolás, 541
  17. Lorenzo, 535
  18. Emilia, 513
  19. Agustín, 487 (tie)
  20. Bautista, 487 (tie)
  21. Belén, 477
  22. Daniel, 459
  23. Manuel, 450
  24. Alejandro, 433
  25. Santiago, 429
  26. Francisco, 426
  27. Delfina, 422
  28. Lautaro, 421 (tie)
  29. Agustina, 421 (tie)
  30. Santino, 419
  31. Carlos, 417
  32. Lucas, 413
  33. Valentino, 411
  34. Dante, 407
  35. Josefina, 393
  36. Luis, 392
  37. Ignacio, 389 (tie)
  38. Gabriel, 389 (tie)
  39. Joaquín, 385
  40. Olivia, 380
  41. José, 374
  42. Thiago, 359
  43. Emiliano, 352
  44. Gael, 343
  45. Victoria, 341
  46. Francesca, 325
  47. Alberto, 324
  48. Tomás, 318
  49. Sebastián, 315
  50. Renata, 312
  51. David, 308
  52. Jose, 302
  53. Martín, 301
  54. Zoe, 296
  55. Bastian, 290
  56. Samuel, 288
  57. Milagros, 286
  58. Eduardo, 284
  59. Pilar, 280 (tie)
  60. Paulina, 280 (tie)
  61. Bruno, 278
  62. Alexander, 275 (tie)
  63. Ana, 275 (tie)
  64. Clara, 271
  65. Facundo, 267
  66. Emily, 261 (tie)
  67. Pedro, 261 (tie)
  68. Benjamin, 259
  69. Antonio, 257 (tie)
  70. Alfonsina, 257 (tie)
  71. Guadalupe, 255
  72. Sofia, 254 (tie)
  73. Vicente, 254 (tie)
  74. Pablo, 254 (tie)
  75. Federico, 253
  76. Emanuel, 251
  77. Diego, 249
  78. Jorge, 240
  79. Javier, 239
  80. Salvador, 235
  81. Rafael, 230
  82. Fernando, 229
  83. Nahuel, 228
  84. Jazmín, 226
  85. Luciano, 223
  86. Liam, 222
  87. Paz, 218
  88. Camila, 217
  89. Maite, 216
  90. Andrés, 207
  91. Ismael, 206 (tie)
  92. Miguel, 206 (tie)
  93. Alma, 205
  94. Noah, 204
  95. Mía, 203
  96. Lucía, 202 (tie)
  97. Benicio, 202 (tie)
  98. Mia, 201
  99. Franco, 198
  100. Nicolas, 195
  101. Bianca, 194
  102. Isabel, 193
  103. Juana, 191
  104. Camilo, 190
  105. Tadeo, 188
  106. Enzo, 187
  107. Guillermo, 186
  108. Cataleya, 183
  109. Alejandra, 181 (tie)
  110. Sebastian, 181 (tie)
  111. Florencia, 179
  112. Carolina, 175
  113. Enrique, 172
  114. Ramiro, 171
  115. Alfonso, 167
  116. Faustino, 166
  117. Ámbar, 164 (4-way tie)
  118. Beatriz, 164 (4-way tie)
  119. Logan, 164 (4-way tie)
  120. Marcelo, 164 (4-way tie)
  121. Matías, 161 (tie)
  122. Ciro, 161 (tie)
  123. Aitana, 160 (tie)
  124. Antonella, 160 (tie)
  125. Angel, 159 (tie)
  126. Nahitan, 159 (tie)
  127. Nicole, 158
  128. Andrea, 156 (tie)
  129. Elena, 156 (tie)

(I went down this far to ensure that at least fifty girl names were included.)

Here are a few names from lower down on the list:

  • 16 babies were named Tabaré, which was the name of former Uruguayan president Tabaré Vázquez (who died in December of 2020).
    • Tabaré was given to just 2 babies the year before.
  • 6 were named Atahualpa, which was the name of the last emperor of the Inca.
    • Atahualpa was given to just one baby the year before.
  • 2 were named Cono, perhaps after St. Cono of Italy.
  • 2 were named Giorgian, which is the first name of Uruguayan soccer player Giorgian de Arrascaeta.
  • 2 were named Pampa, which may refer to the Pampas — the grasslands of South America.
    • The Spanish word pampa comes directly from the Quechua word pampa, meaning “plain, field.”

And, because Uruguay releases all of its baby name data, we can also check out the unique names at the other end of the spectrum. Here’s a selection Uruguay’s single-use baby names of 2021:

Aitziber, Berzaline, Carbonell, Danisel, Evtimova, Fradixon, Gilbeth, Hinayana, Itanu, Joxibel, Kundlik, Lothar, Mactominei, Neybis, Orientina, Pandugula, Quimey, Rillary, Sizzle, Tilottama, Toruk, Unelma, Venexia, Wilfreddy, Xunmira, Yulipza, Zombul

Some possible explanations/associations:

  • Lothar – German soccer player Lothar Matthäus
  • Mactominei – English soccer player Scott McTominay
  • Orientina – the word orientales (“easterners”) is sometimes used to refer to Uruguayans
    • The country’s official name is La República Oriental del Uruguay.
  • Tilottama – an apsara in Hindu mythology
  • Toruk – a flying creature in the movie Avatar

In 2020, the top names in Uruguay were Emma and Juan. (Emma managed to beat María/Maria only because Uruguay counts the accented and unaccented forms of names separately in the rankings.)

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Uruguay (public domain)

What gave the baby name Marty a boost in the 1950s?

The characters Marty Markham and Spin Evans from the TV series "The New Adventures of Spin and Marty" (1957)
Spin and Marty from “Spin and Marty

The baby name Marty, which was rising in usage during the 1950s, rose much more quickly from 1955 to 1957 specifically:

Boys named MartyGirls named Marty
19581,413 [rank: 198th]134 [rank: 881st]
19571,348 [rank: 200th]159† [rank: 803rd]
19561,014 [rank: 229th]130 [rank: 877th]
1955618 [rank: 287th]86
1954422 [rank: 348th]72
1953359 [rank: 360th]95 [rank: 983rd]
†Peak usage

Here’s a visual:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Marty in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Marty

The name Martin (which had ranked inside the boys’ top 100 for decades by the 1950s) likewise saw an increase in usage during those years:

  • 1958: 5,666 baby boys named Martin [rank: 71st]
  • 1957: 5,964 baby boys named Martin [rank: 69th]
  • 1956: 5,683 baby boys named Martin [rank: 73rd]
  • 1955: 5,069 baby boys named Martin [rank: 77th]
  • 1954: 4,964 baby boys named Martin [rank: 79th]
  • 1953: 4,780 baby boys named Martin [rank: 82nd]

Why?

I think there are two reasons, though one was probably more influential than the other.

The primary reason was likely the character Marty from three different Spin and Marty serials (which aired as 11-minute segments on The Mickey Mouse Club):

  • The Adventures of Spin and Marty (1955) – 25 episodes
  • The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty (1956) – 23 episodes
  • The New Adventures of Spin and Marty (1957) – 30 episodes

Spin and Marty was set at the Triple R Ranch, a western-style summer camp for boys.

The main characters were teenagers Martin “Marty” Markham (played by David Stollery), who was rich and spoiled, and Spin Evans (played by Tim Considine), who was popular and athletic. “Walt Disney had never before created anything with two diametrically opposed leads.” By the end of the first serial, the boys had overcome their differences and become best friends.

The success of Spin and Marty led to merchandising that included comic books, coloring books, and phonograph records.

The characters Clara Snyder and Marty Piletti from the movie "Marty" (1955)
Clara and Marty from “Marty

The secondary reason for the rise for the name Marty? The 1955 movie Marty, a poignant romantic drama about a man looking for love.

The film follows main character Marty Pilletti (played by Ernest Borgnine) — a lonely 34-year-old who lives with his widowed mother in the Bronx — over the course of a weekend. He meets a woman named Clara (played by Betsy Blair) at a dance hall, and they unexpectedly hit it off. But Marty’s mother and bachelor friends aren’t as excited about his budding romance, and they try to dissuade Marty from pursuing Clara.

The movie — despite being independently produced on a modest budget, and despite featuring ordinary-looking characters and a “quiet, simple story” — was a success at the box office. It also won four Academy Awards: Best Motion Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. (Borgnine’s “Best Actor” Oscar was presented by Grace Kelly.)

What are your thoughts on the name Marty?

Sources:

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2022

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

Of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, Quebec is the second-largest both in terms of population (after Ontario) and in terms of area (after Nunavut).

Last year, Quebec welcomed more than 80,700 babies. The most popular names among these babies? Emma and Noah.

Here are Quebec’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Emma, 520 baby girls
  2. Olivia, 476
  3. Charlotte, 465
  4. Charlie, 462
  5. Florence, 445
  6. Alice, 433
  7. Lea, 371 (tie)
  8. Livia, 371 (tie)
  9. Rose, 321
  10. Juliette, 315
  11. Romy, 314
  12. Clara, 308
  13. Beatrice, 292
  14. Zoe, 278
  15. Mia, 268
  16. Eva, 261
  17. Chloe, 260 (tie)
  18. Mila, 260 (tie)
  19. Rosalie, 250
  20. Sofia, 249
  21. Victoria, 239
  22. Julia, 234
  23. Leonie, 219
  24. Jade, 214
  25. Maeva, 202 (tie)
  26. Raphaelle, 202 (tie)
  27. Flavie, 182
  28. Jeanne, 182
  29. Amelia, 175
  30. Eleonore, 169
  31. Elena, 168
  32. Billie, 167
  33. Camille, 163 (tie)
  34. Ophelie, 163 (tie)
  35. Adele, 160
  36. Elizabeth, 158
  37. Sophie, 150
  38. Ellie, 145 (tie)
  39. Sophia, 145 (tie)
  40. Lily, 134
  41. Oceane, 125
  42. Flora, 120
  43. Maya, 118 (tie)
  44. Simone, 118 (tie)
  45. Eloise, 117
  46. Alicia, 116
  47. Mathilde, 114 (tie)
  48. Romane, 114 (tie)
  49. Gabrielle, 111 (tie)
  50. Lexie, 111 (tie)

Boy Names

  1. Noah, 650 baby boys
  2. William, 616
  3. Liam, 586
  4. Thomas, 571
  5. Leo, 563
  6. Edouard, 482
  7. Jacob, 451
  8. Arthur, 446 (tie)
  9. Louis, 446 (tie)
  10. Nathan, 430
  11. Emile, 429
  12. Charles, 408
  13. Felix, 400
  14. Theo, 385
  15. Logan, 384
  16. Adam, 369
  17. Arnaud, 349
  18. Raphael, 344
  19. Jules, 315
  20. James, 294
  21. Henri, 290
  22. Victor, 289
  23. Theodore, 277
  24. Lucas, 270
  25. Elliot, 261
  26. Laurent, 260
  27. Jackson, 259
  28. Benjamin, 256
  29. Nolan, 254
  30. Samuel, 247
  31. Alexis, 246
  32. Gabriel, 244
  33. Milan, 226
  34. Olivier, 223
  35. Antoine, 219
  36. Eloi, 218
  37. Ethan, 213
  38. Matheo, 211
  39. Jayden, 203
  40. Axel, 200
  41. Jake, 198
  42. Eli, 197
  43. Zack, 178
  44. Leonard, 164
  45. Robin, 163
  46. Louka, 157
  47. Mathis, 154
  48. Hubert, 148
  49. Zachary, 145
  50. Mayson, 143

The girls’ top 100 included Laurence (53rd), Clemence (71st), Stella (75th), and Dahlia (97th).

The boys’ top 100 included Tristan (55th), Ludovic (61st), Tyler (75th), and Maverick (93rd).

Below are some of the baby names that were bestowed just once in Quebec last year:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Arsaniq, Brythanie, Celestia, Dashnie, Everly-Andalucia, Florabelle, Guerlandine, Halanna, Itzia, Joneer, Kana, Lista, Midland, Namra, Orchina, Paulasie, Qullik, Raffie, Sirpaluk, Thelora, Uashtuashkuan, Veola, Wapikon, Xerra, Yrina, ZoulfaAdonijah, Brivael, Cleamsburg, Dodnerlyn, Enzau, Forty, Glauca, Halprin, Ihaziel, Joanassie, Kittir, Lorio, Mihkwaabin, Napessis, Orso, Pinaskin, Qumanguaq, Roosely, Shmaryahu, Timangiak, Uziar, Valmond, Waastuskun, Wakinyan, Xavyn, Yasten, Zotique

Some possible explanations/associations for a few of the above:

  • Arsaniq means “northern lights” in Inuktitut.
  • Glauca might be a reference to white spruce (Picea glauca), a type of tree found throughout Canada.
  • Napessis is based on napesis, the Cree word for “small boy.”
  • Qullik (like Qulliq in the 2021 data) refers to an Inuit soapstone lamp.
  • Qumanguaq (which was also used in 2020) refers to a mountain in Nunavut.
  • Sirpaluk refers to “one of the seal knucklebones used in an Inuit game.”
  • Uashtuashkuan means “northern lights” in Innu (which is related to Cree).
  • Waastuskun means “northern lights” in Cree.
  • Wakinyan means “thunder” in Lakota.
  • Zotique can be traced back to the ancient Greek word zotikos, meaning “full of life, alive.”

Joanassie and Paulasie (which were mentioned in the post about Canada’s 2021 rankings) are two examples of Inuktitut-influenced Christian names.

And one last name I wanted to throw in was Minokimin, which was part of a longer boy name bestowed in Quebec last year. Minokimin refers to one of the eight Algonquin seasons — specifically, to the period in late spring during which ice thaws and plants begin to grow.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)