Claire seems to be that perfect name for girls and women. It sounds wonderful and, so far at least, has no negative connotations. It’s hard to imagine a more satisfactory first name.
Searching for a middle name can take a long time. That’s why we’ve gone to so much trouble to find so many. You can pick from our list of best middle names for Claire or you can honor a relative or ancestry. Perhaps you have a great friend you wish to honor. Whichever name you select, it will probably go beautifully with the first name Claire.
Feminine middle names for Claire
- Claire Alice (AL-iss) — This shortened form of Adelais has been around a long time. The Old French used the name Alis or Alais.
- Claire Alma (AL-mah) — A sweet name from olden times, Alma means nourishing, learned, or kind soul. It comes from languages as varied as Latin, Hebrew, Italian, and Arabic.
- Claire Anne (ANN) — This adorable pairing sounds like one compound name. Easily called to the TV room or across the street, this might be our favorite middle name for Claire. It is the female name from the Latin given name Anna The alternative spelling is the more common Ann. Using both names ending in ‘e’ gives the two a pleasant pairing.
- Claire Cora (KOH-rah) — This is another great name from the Greek that we’ve used for decades. We use the Latinized version of the original Kora. It means maiden or daughter.
- Claire Diamond (DYE-mund) — Everyone knows what a diamond is and where this name originated. Precious and beautiful, the name denotes our love of our little Claire.
- Claire Elisabeth (e-LEES-a-bet or e-LEES-a-beth) — This name is a variant of Elizabeth and a little more unusual. This can be good or bad. It’s a good choice in that it will stand out as different. The unfortunate part is that the name will be misspelled most of the time. The name means pledged to go from the cultures who originated it, France, Germany, and Greece.
- Claire Estelle (ess-TELL) — Estelle is a soph\\sticated name from the area of the South of France and the North of Spain. It means stars and its alternatives are Stella and Estella.
- Claire Graciella (grah-si-ELL-ah) — This lovely and musical name from the Latin means favor or blessing.
- Claire Isla (EES-la or EYE-lah) — This is an increasingly popular name of Scottish origin. The name comes from Islay, an island off the west coast in central Scotland. It’s also the name of two Scottish rivers.
- Claire Imani (ee-MON-ee) — This increasingly common Arabic name means belief or faith. It is an alternate form of Iman.
- Claire Jane (JAY-n) — is a great classic name. Plain Jane? Maybe not so much. It’s English, as we expected, and it means God is gracious. It came from the French Jehanne. As you go further back, you’ll find the Hebrew name Yochanan meaning Yahweh is merciful.
- Claire Joy (j-OY) — The happy name says it all. As an alternative, you can use the name Joyce which deserves to make a comeback.
- Claire Judith (JU-dith) — This ancient Hebrew feminine name means woman of Judea.
- Claire Luisa (loo-EE-za) — A name with the playful sun of Italy, this girl’s name means renowned warrior. Luisa has had a big upsurge in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria as well as Portugal.
- Claire Macie (MAY-see) — This alternative spelling for Macy means a gift of the Lord in Irish and English. In Old French, the name means weapon, so prepare for a daughter who’s particularly fierce.
- Claire Margo (MAR-go) — Also spelled Margot, this French name means pearl. The name is derived from the more staid Margaret, also meaning pearl.
- Claire Milana (mih-LAH-nah) — This Old Slavic name means dear, pleasant, and gracious.
- Claire Nicole (ni-KOL) — This name is from the French and Greek. It means people of victory. It comes from the masculine Nicholas.
- Claire Poppy (POP-ee) — Naturally, this name comes from the flower just like the related names of Rose, Lily, and Camilla.
- Claire Rachel (RAY-chell) — Rachel (Hebrew: רָחֵל, Standard Raḥel Tiberian Rāḫēl, Rāḥēl), meaning ewe”, is a feminine given name. It is best known as the name of Biblical Rachel.
- Claire Ramona (rah-MOAN-ah) — This Spanish name is quite popular because of its association with literary characters that are clever, smart, and wise. The name means wise protector.
- Claire Rhea (RAY-uh) — Rhea is of Greek origin and this pronunciation is the correct one. It means flowing stream.
- Claire Sylvie (SIL-vee) — This is the French form of the name Sylvia. It comes from the Latin for forest, silva.
- Claire Teresa (terr-AY-sah) — This is of Spain, Portugal, and Italy. It means to harvest. This is a variation of Theresa that was used in Spain and Portugal alone.
- Claire Verna (VERR-nah) — This name comes from the Latin root for the word springtime the same as the world vernal, as in vernal equinox.
- Claire Victoria (vik-TOR-ee-ah) — The Romans take credit again for this Latin name meaning, of course, victory. It is the feminine form of Victor.
- Claire Winnie (WINN-ee) — Here’s an old-fashioned name making a comeback. Short for Winifred, the name originates in England and means holy peacemaking, gentle friend. Besides Winifred. Winnie was also used as a short form of Edwina and Gwendolyn.
- Claire Zoe (ZOH-ee) — Spelled Zoe, Zoé or Zoë, this girls’ name is from Greece and means life.
Gender ambiguous middle names for Claire
- Claire Alexia (ah-LEX-ee-ah) — This name was traditionally masculine and derived from several saints’ names from the Eastern Orthodox Church in Russia. The name means to ‘ward off’ or ‘defend.’ Alexia is the feminine form of the masculine Alexis.
- Claire Brooke (brr-UK) — A sophisticated girl’s name, Brook means, of course, small stream. It is the feminine version of Brooks or Brook.
- Claire Carmen (KAR-men) — In its native Spain, this name means garden. It is also a common masculine name in the Hispanic and Latin communities.
- Claire Carter (KARR-ter) — There’s no surprise that Carter means one who either makes or drives carts. The name is becoming very popular for girls.
- Claire Elliott (ELL-ee-ot) — This English name means Jehovah is God. Eliot, Elliot, Elliott and Elliotte are the various spellings for this newly popular name for girls. Elle is a great version.
- Claire Emerson (EMM-er-sun) — The Germans devised this name meaning son of Emery. It is one of the masculine names making headway into the girls’ column in the last few years.
- Claire Ezra (EZZ-rah) — Ezra is a Biblical name that just made the top 100 for boys, but it’s popular for girls as well. There is a Turkish name Esra pronounced almost identically as ESS-rah. The meaning of the name is help.
- Claire Harper (HARR-purr) — This English name means harp player. This unisex name is a very popular name for girls, entering the top 10 in 2015.
- Claire Jamie (JAY-mee) — This is a Hebrew name that means supplanter. Alternate ways to spell her name are Jaime, Jamey, and Jayme. The name, spelled as Jaime, is popular in countries that speak Spanish for a boy’s name. In that case, the name is pronounced HIGH-mee.
- Claire Kelly (KELL-ee) — A name that works well with Claire, sharing the first sounds for all the better long-distance calling virtue. An Irish name, it means war.
- Claire Layne (LAY-n) — Alternately spelled Laine, this popular boys name is now hot for girls as well. It means Dweller in a Lane and was originally an English surname. In Finnish, it also means wave.
- Claire Lennox (LENN-ox) — Another surname that’s made to move to a given name, this Scottish name means elm grove.
- Claire Mackenzie (MAK-ken-zee) — This name matches beautifully with Claire. You can’t help but put a lilt in them. In Gaelic, the name means comely, child of the wise leader, and born of fire. This popular name for girls is one of our favorites for Claire.
- Claire Morgan (MORE-gann) — This jaunty Welsh name means sea-forn, sea song, or sea circle. A close relative is the Irish Muirgen.
- Claire Palmer (PALL-mer) — This English name means he who holds the palm. It is another name that is traditionally masculine but, in modern use, becoming a more feminine one.
- Claire Parker (PARR-kerr) — The English name means, logically, park keeper. The use of the name is rising in both boys and girls, but particularly for the little mean.
- Claire Sawyer (SAW-yerr) — The name means woodcutter, obviously. One of the top unisex monikers, it’s one of the top unisex names.
How to pick a great middle name
You can do a lot with a good middle name. You can pay tribute to your mom Constance by naming your girl Claire Connie or Claire Kennerly. You can make sure that she has one name that is grown up-sounding. After all, it would be hard for her to market herself as a lead trial attorney if she’s called Petunia Penny.
If you selected a first name that is a tongue-twister or uses all the letters of the alphabet, you can use her middle name instead of the first name for all but the most formal occasions. If you’re a fan of history and name her Aphrodite, you can make up for it by giving her the middle name Anne.
The ultimate test of a name is the street-call. You need to get your daughter’s attention when it’s dinner time, so go outside and shout at your leading contenders. Pick the one that is easiest to use meaningfully. You’ll be glad you did.
Wrapping it up for cute and clever Claire
There are so many great middle names for a girl named Claire. Her name already sounds clever, astute, and cute. You can let yourself go if you’ve already chosen Claire for your girl. Her middle name is where you can really let go. With its lovely and lively sound and meaning, even the silliest middle names can work wonderfully.