Given name & surname
Chiara
“daughter of the light”
Chiara is used as a given name and a surname. One Italian interpretation is “daughter of the light.”
Original ItalianClara
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Italian interpretation is “daughter of the light.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Italian.
How it developed
In Italian use, Chiara is used as a form of Clare.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1951. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In Italian use, Chiara has a related form in Clara. The history of Clara gives this family its wider story. Clara’s history includes English, Italian, and German use. In the Scottish Highlands, it also served as a translation equivalent of Sorcha.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Chiara through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,927
- 0 boys · 5,927 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 228 babies
- 2025
- 228
- #1,066 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +38%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 228 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,066 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 38.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (35). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,552 as a first name in 2020; 514 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Chiara’s family of names
In Italian usage, Chiara has a later derivative in Saint Clare. In Italian usage, Chiara has a conventional equivalent in the French form Claire. In Italian usage, Chiara has a related form in Clara.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Chiara has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Italian roots to each of them.
Italianwhere Chiara comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 14
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Chiara
- Chiara MastroianniFrench actress (born 1972)
- Chiara SiracusaMaltese singerborn 1976
- Chiara FerragniItalian fashion blogger and influencer (1987-)
- Chiara AppendinoItalian politician (1984)
- Chiara BadanoItalian Blessed1971–1990
- Chiara ConsonniItalian racing cyclistborn 1999
- Chiara CaineroItalian gold medalist shooterborn 1978
- Chiara AureliaAmerican actressborn 2002
- Chiara KreuzerAustrian ski jumperborn 1997
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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