I love
Clara - I also fell in love with it via The Nutcracker, I was waaay into that as a kid. I thought
Clara (the character) was so wonderful.
It's a classic name with a sort of homey Victorian feel to it, which seems to be very en vogue for girl's names right now. Look at the steady rise of
Cora,
Alice,
Eleanor,
Norah,
Amelia,
Lucy, etc. I would expect it to keep steadily rising. I wouldn't be surprised it if got into the Top 50 in the next few years, unless there's a big shift in name fashion. It's just got the right bone structure to it.
I prefer
Clara.
Klara is cool and very edgy, but doesn't have the same warm heart centre that
Clara has.
Klara is rather cold and steely, like a knife edge.
Claire is nice but seems a bit more humdrum.
Clara has presence to it, a depth.
Claire is more simple where
Clara seems complex.
Clare has more solidity to it than
Claire, more seriousness that draws me in.
Clara and
Clare are my faves :)