| Clara | Regina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Bright, clear | queen |
| Origin | Latin | latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | KLAIR-uh | ruh-JEE-nuh |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1918 (5,778) | 1962 (5,002) |
| In 2025 | 3,601 | 786 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Clara | Regina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 17,277 | 4,995 |
| 2010s | 26,657 | 6,250 |
| 2000s | 12,789 | 4,551 |
| 1990s | 6,266 | 6,915 |
| 1980s | 3,668 | 14,578 |
| 1970s | 3,290 | 28,319 |
| 1960s | 6,505 | 45,827 |
| 1950s | 12,768 | 30,797 |
| 1940s | 20,028 | 12,713 |
| 1930s | 31,658 | 7,045 |
| 1920s | 48,183 | 10,676 |
| 1910s | 44,346 | 7,389 |
| 1900s | 23,899 | 2,243 |
| 1890s | 25,473 | 1,353 |
| 1880s | 17,717 | 621 |
From the Latin clarus, “bright” or “clear.” Saint Clare of Assisi carried the name.
From the Latin 'regina', meaning 'queen' (feminine of 'rex'). Long used as a title of the Virgin Mary (Regina Caeli, 'Queen of Heaven'). A literal, well-established 'queen' name.
Clara is more popular than Regina today: about 3,601 US babies were given the name Clara in 2025, compared with 786 named Regina.
Clara means Bright, clear (Latin origin), while Regina means queen (latin origin).
In US records, Clara first appears in 1880 and Regina in 1880, so Clara has the longer recorded history.