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Clara or Marie (more)
Both of these names have very similar images for me because they both make me think of the little girl in The Nutcracker (in some versions she is Clara, in some Marie). So I imagine a sweet little girl, ballet, christmas - it's a very nice image.Which do you prefer, Clara or Marie, and why?
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ClaraIt's probably because Marie has a rep as a filler name, but it just seems dull to me.
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Clara. It is fun and sophisticated at the same time!
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MarieI love Marie as a first name -- so familiar and comforting, yet so very unusual these days.
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Before you mentioned it I hadn't looked at the popularity. It's so odd because I have known so many people named Marie around my age and my younger sister's age but Marie hasn't been very popular or even fairly popular in the U.S. in a very long time.1945 was the last year it was in the top 50, 1957 the last year it was in the top 100, 1989 the last time in the top 200, and 1994 was the last year it was in the top 300.
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This message was edited 1/28/2017, 1:42 PM

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ClaraI like Marie as a FN, but I prefer the sound of Clara more. I agree that they have similar vibes. Both are very feminine without being too ornate.
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Where I live, Marie sounds like MAHree. It also used to be exceptionally common.Clara, then. I've known an English-speaking Clara Mary (who became Clara Mary Anne on confirmation) and a German-speaking Klara-Maria.
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Clara
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Clara!Marie is boring to me, and dated. I really like Clara/Klara though.
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ClaraDefinitely Clara (as CLAH-ruh). I have other associations that endear me to the name, and I love the meaning, and sound too.
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Definitely Clara. Marie is nice enough but a bit bland and slightly dated.Clara is similar to Lara - which I also like - but it is much nicer. KLAR-ə is my favorite pronunciation. Clara is musical, sweet, mature, but simple in a refined way.I have never known a Clara but in passing. I have known many Marie's. All the Marie's I've known have been great people who were odd balls but that always just made me like them more. Well except for two Marie's, one of whom bullied me but at the same tried to be my friend. The other was my nana's sister who betrayed the family so my nana never spoke to her again. This happened before I was born so I've never met her.Clara I associate with the Nutcracker character and in more recent years the Doctor Who companion.
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This message was edited 1/27/2017, 9:59 PM

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Marie, if I had to choose one of the two. I don't much like Clara. Prefer Claire.
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