Clare

[SunflowerOwl]

We were pretty set on Thea for our DD due in August but I keep coming back to the name Clare. DH likes it but thinks it's a bit dated and prefers Thea.

I feel like the closer we get to the due date the more undecided I feel!

What do people think of the name Clare? Middle name will likely be Elizabeth.

I think Clare is just a bit meh, not really much to it.

Clare will be more unique than Thea for sure but I find it very blah. There's just nothing special or attractive about it.

I love Clare with that spelling. It’s a classic, and will be unusual these days. I feel the same about Mary, Jane and Catherine. Love them all!

Not keen on it but I do like names in a similar vein eg Catherine, Caroline, Emma and other one syllable names like Jane or Ann. Maybe they are all due a comeback.

Lovely, classic name so if that’s the vibe you want then go for it.

Thea is pretty popular at the moment.

I really like Thea and don’t actually know any little ones.

Why not use Clare as a middle name? I’m not Elizabeth goes, too many E sounds.

Oh I hate Clare as I know a few and they are all spelt differently, and I'm paranoid of offending them by getting it wrong ☹️

My youngest (now 10) is called Clare. I absolutely love the name (obviously ) Despite it being a very well known name we have never come across another of her age

I'm Elizabeth Clare, known to most as Clare and my siblings as Wiz. Don't come across many under 40 with the name so whilst some may consider it dull it would probably be seen as unusual for a new generation. 😀 For what it's worth I prefer Clara but fear that may become trendy!!

How about Jane?! I totally love Jane.

i used this, with the same spelling. classic . ive never regretted it.

Claire / clare is very 70s / 80s but having a come back.

Clara is nicer

Thea is pretty but I couldn't bear to hear it pronounced ' Fee-ah' so if you live in the south east, stay away from that

I like it, I’ve known some lovely people called Clare (I much prefer that spelling too).

It’s kind of dated in that it was very popular in the 70s and 80s, but it’s still classic and a nice name, unlike some names of that time

I know a Clara, she’s fabulous

Only if you spell it "Claire" which is the correct way... Not that I'm biased. 😉

It's nice enough in a sensible, won't scare the horses kind of way.

It reminds of of Breakfast Club

I like Claire (I like the I) a lot. Simple pretty good meaning good looking written down. I think there are some accents where it sounds less good than others?

Claire or Clare is lovely. Clair looks kind of unfinished.

It means bright or light.

Clare is extremely unusual for a baby these days. In 2018 there were only 3! It feels more common than that though because most people know several women aged 35+ called Clare/Claire.

Thea is trendier according to the statistics, although I've only ever met one who would now be about 8. How often you hear it might depend where you live?

Personally I like both. But I like Clara even better!

It’s a classic which will never date and should be used more. It’ll come back soon but for now it’s nicely unusual. Like the simple Clare spelling too.

I like it a lot better than Thea which I think is nothing-y and faddy

Clara or Claudia are options.

40 years ago, I'd say not another Clare. However it's a lovely name, and for this generation I don't know any. Go for it.

I love Clare, especially that spelling.

However you spell it, it's so much nicer than Thea.

I adore the name Clare (or Claire, both spellings are fab). So simple and graceful, I love the look and the sound of it.

Although fairly classic, it was just so popular in the 70's/80's some people will find it dated. However imo Clare has a lovely romantic/poetic soft sound - I can see why it appeals to you. But an issue is the spelling - the "Claire" version seems to have always been much more popular in the UK, so will likely be the default.

Thea is nice enough but feels very trendy in comparison, so I prefer Claire!

No I don't think so, the French 'Claire' spelling became popular here in the 60s as part of a trend of French names for little girls, others were Julie, Michelle, Marie, Suzanne, Louise, Jacqueline.

Before that the name was never overwhelmingly popular and was traditionally given as the Clare version. For example the Saint is referred to in Britain and Ireland as St Clare, not Claire.