Given name
Claretha
Claretha is a variant of Clara. Clara is connected with the Latin idea of being famous, and is also interpreted through brightness.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Claretha is a variant of Clara. Clara is connected with the Latin idea of being famous, and is also interpreted through brightness.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Claretha is a variant of Clara. Clara is a post-classical Latin name used in English, Italian, and German.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Claretha is a variant of Clara. The shared background comes through Clara: Clara uses the feminine form of Latin clarus. In English, it represents a return to the Latin form alongside the established spelling Clare.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Claretha is a variant of 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
Claretha through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,109
- 0 boys · 1,109 girls
- Most popular year
- 1948
- 41 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1989. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 41 in 1948. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 578 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Claretha’s family of names
Claretha has a related form in Clara.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Claretha, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Annelle
>99% girls
Marsha
“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
>99% girls
Louanna
“one who is content and enjoys life”
>99% girls
Annetta
“grace, gracious”
>99% girls
Laretta
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Carlotta
“free man” · “a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Bonita
“a pretty and charming girl”
>99% girls
Charlynn
“a small, strong woman”
>99% girls