Amara
Meaning
grace
The story
Amara is a name several traditions arrived at independently, which is part of its appeal. In Igbo, spoken across southeastern Nigeria, it means "grace," as in Amarachi, "God's grace"; in Italian it reads as "bitter"; and an older Sanskrit sense is "immortal." The versions share a sound rather than a root. In the US it climbed steadily rather than spiking: 530 in the 1980s, 1,430 in the 1990s, 4,381 in the 2000s, 9,523 in the 2010s, and about 13,200 so far this decade, still rising while many of its neighbours have peaked. It sits comfortably beside Amira, Amaya and Nora, gentle names that cross cultures easily, and its unforced link to "grace" gives it meaning without a single invented word.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Amara peaked in the 2020s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
12,581 people · the #1,456 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 16,129 · median age 64
Among people named Amara living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1950s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 227 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Amara
Most people given the name Amara in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Amara deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Amara truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Amara fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Amara travels
Indian American · immortal (also reads as the Latin/African name Amara; chosen for cross-cultural fit)
African American · traditionally 'grace' in Igbo, also linked to 'eternal' in several African languages; a graceful modern favorite
Indian · eternal, immortal
Keep exploring
Names like Amara · Middle names for Amara · Igbo baby names · Indian baby names · Indian American baby names · African American baby names
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