Dara
Meaning
star; from Sanskrit tara. A true unisex classic and a great accidental crossover: the same spelling exists as an Irish name and a Persian one, so Cambodian American kids rarely have to explain it twice
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Dara peaked in the 1960s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
11,688 people · the #1,528 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 17,241 · median age 24
Among people named Dara living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 592 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Dara
Most people given the name Dara in the United States were born between 1960 and 2009. The Dara you meet today is most often in their 30s or 40s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Dara deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Dara 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 Dara fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Dara travels
Lao · star (from Pali-Sanskrit tara); in Laos as in Thailand it also means a screen star
Persian · wealthy, possessor (root shared with Darius)
Keep exploring
Lao baby names · Khmer and Cambodian baby names · Persian baby names · Short names · Gender-neutral names
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