Claude
/kloʊd/noun
A given name, especially the French form of the Latin name Claudius.
Did you know?The Roman Claudian family was one of Rome’s most powerful patrician dynasties, despite the name’s unflattering traditional association with physical disability.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
claudus
“Lame, limping, or physically disabled; the traditional source of the Roman family name.”
1st Century BCE
Latin
Claudius
“A Roman family name, famously borne by the patrician gens Claudia.”
1st Century CE
Latin
Claudius
“Imperial name borne by Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
Claudus / Claudius
“The inherited personal name used in Christian and European naming traditions.”
Medieval French
Old French
Claude
“French personal name developed from Latin Claudius.”
Modern English
English
Claude
“A personal name borrowed from French; also used as a surname and modern proper name.”