This name has been worn by a supermodel and a saint, but she’s our pick this Halloween week because of a chilling little girl vampire.
Today’s Name of the Day is Claudia.
If Bram Stoker created our popular idea of the vampire, Anne Rice re-invented that concept beginning with 1976’s novel Interview with the Vampire. Nearly two decades later, it came to the big screen, with Kirsten Dunst playing the child vampire Claudia.
While Claudia is an ancient name, Rice’s petite bloodsucker was born in late 18th century New Orleans. It was a plausible name for a child of the time, though it has never been a chart-topper in the US.
Claudia was first worn by noble Romans. She’s the feminine form of Claudius, which means lame. It seems an uninspiring meaning, but the Emperor Claudius was a capable leader, expanding the empire into Britain and bringing a certain calm, rational attitude to administration after the reign of Caligula. While the man himself did indeed suffer from some infirmities, the meaning is tempered by his success.
Claudia was worn with some frequency in the ancient world. At least one Claudia appears briefly in Roman mythology. She’s a vestal virigin. The second pope, Linus, was the son of a Claudia – she became a saint. Pontius Pilate’s wife goes unnamed in the Bible, but Christian legend often refers to her as Claudia.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a Claudia in Medieval England, but thanks to the 7th century Saint Claude of France, the name lived on elsewhere in Europe. In the 1500s, the aristocratic Hamilton family brought the name Claude to England, and eventually Claudia creeped back into use. Another common French feminine form is Claudine.
- Former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson was born Claudia Alta Taylor. She was named after her uncle Claud, but known by a childhood nickname all her life.
- German-born Claudia Schiffer was among the most popular supermodels of the 1990s. Her popularity may account for the name’s resurgence in the 90s.
- On the small screen, fictional Claudia Jean “C.J.” Cregg appeared on NBC’s oval office drama The West Wing for seven years as Press Secretary and later Chief of Staff.
Other fictional Claudias have appeared on television, including Dynasty, General Hospital and Primeval.
While Claudia doesn’t offer an easy nickname, she could appeal to parents who love the feminine sound of chart-toppers like Olivia and Sophia. She’s currently a Top Ten pick in Spain, and ranks among the more popular names in many Spanish-speaking countries, including Chile.
But while we’d expect Claudia to do well, that’s not been the case. Back in 1880, she ranked #224 in the US. In 1952, she peaked at #111. (A popular novel-turned-play called Claudia: The Story of a Marriage was adapted for television that year.) In 1997, she again climbed, reaching as high as #167, possibly due to the visibility of Claudia Schiffer. But by 2007, the name had fallen to #404 – her least popular ever.
The result is a name that will satisfy many parents. She’s familiar but uncommon. And she’s the rare feminine, three-syllable appellation unlikely to lead to a nickname – a quality that appeals to some. With her history and strength, this one is a winning choice.
claudia says
June 14, 2011 at 1:54 PMI am a Claudia, and I like my name a lot now, but not when I was growing up. I was named after a character from the “One Man’s Family” radio show from the 50s and 60s, I believe. My mother did not like the nickname, and I wound up being called “Coco”. To this day I really don’t like it when people take it upon themselves to just call me “Claude” without asking. When I was a kid, I was overweight, and the other kids called me “Clod-hopper.” But don’t worry about that happening to your child. I had a friend named Carol who was also overweight, and she was called “Carol the Barrel,” which just proves that when kids want to be cruel, they are up to the task no matter what your name. Now, as an adult, I really do like the idea that my name isn’t totally unheard-of, but is also rare. I only first me another Claudia when I was 17, and then in college, in my German class, it was the only other time I had to call out “Which one?” when the professor called out my name. I really like it now, as it does have that noble association and is still “different.” Best wishes!
Emmy Jo says
October 31, 2008 at 1:21 AMClaudia is one of those names that I should like but don’t. It’s familiar but not too common, it’s old-fashioned, and it has possible Biblical associations. I love the similar-sounding Clara, Cordelia, Celia, and Lydia. It sounds like it should be my style, but it’s just not, and I can’t quite put my finger on why.
Maybe it sounds rather dated to me, given my exposure to it in Babysitter’s Club days and also through my high school German classes. (It was one of those that always seemed to pop up in the textbooks and in those silly language-learning videos.) I can’t account for why, but I really dislike it.
Natalie says
October 30, 2008 at 11:56 PMI really like Claudia, it recently made it’s way onto my name list.
My little sister has a friend named “Cloudie” yes pronounced like the weather, i think that would be a nice nickname for Claudia.
🙂
Corinne says
October 30, 2008 at 8:17 PMI have a cousin Claudia, who goes by the whole deal, but I quite like little Dia as a nickname. I may be the only one…
My mom is Claudette, and goes by Claude with her friend Marie (who’s full name is Marie Griffin and so goes by Merv. Their emails are all them being, you know…women, but they use Merv and Claude, so it looks like two men writing back and forth. Good stuff).
I’d love to use Claudia, but I’m close-but-not-too-close to my cousin, and don’t want to confuse them or anything.
ruthie says
October 30, 2008 at 7:23 PMMy baby daughter is Claudia, mostly because we liked the name, but a nice side note was the heroine of the children’s novel “The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler,” who runs away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A few people have mentioned Claudia Salinger the little pianist on “Party of Five” since my daughter was born – I had forgotten about that one. Never knew about the vampire – ooops! Guess I should have kept up on my vampire lit!
We tend to call her Claudie, which we didn’t plan, but seems to fit her.
Reaction from others has been mixed – our families didn’t seem to like it too much, to be honest. And from strangers, we mostly get, “Oh! Is that a family name?” which I’m guessing is not exactly a positive reaction! But we’re happy with it, and like the fact that she could travel anywhere and have a name that works in many countries.
Lola says
October 30, 2008 at 4:59 PMI prefer Claud/Claude myself but I can easily see Claudia’s appeal. (I actually love her in Spanish! Clow-dee-ah) ahhh, Divine!
I went to HS with a Claudia, nn Cloudy. It fit her, she was a lovely, if slightly airy girl. 🙂 Beats Claud/e as a nickanem at any rate!
Didn’t even think “Interview” when I saw Claudia too. All Ancient Roman to me. I love her silky feel and her strength. If she just didn’t sound so cloddy in English! I’d love to see a few with that Spanish pronunciation, though!
Another says
October 30, 2008 at 4:53 PMI love Claudia! If the nickname wasn’t Claude, she’d be at the top of my list.
Does anyone remeber nerdy, Asian Claudia with the strict parents from the Babysitter Club books? That was my first experience with the name. Louis and Lestat’s Claudia was second.
Considering my love of Clara and Claire, I’m sure no one is surprised that I like Claudia, too. But that nickname is a sticking point. Just like Cal for Calvin, there’s something about Claud/Claude that irks me. If I ever have a duaghter, this one is a maybe, but there are others I like more.