unisex name
Dara
DAR-uh
- Origin uncertain
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 20,793
Northern Ireland
#90
2024 births
Dara is a unisex name that arrives from at least three unconnected languages — Irish, Hebrew and Persian — and the reading depends entirely on which one a family has in mind. It ranks 90th in Northern Ireland.
- Dara is a name of uncertain origin.
- Peaked in 1981, when 466 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 13,001 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1893.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Dara over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 |
| 1900s | 11 |
| 1910s | 54 |
| 1920s | 85 |
| 1930s | 46 |
| 1940s | 212 |
| 1950s | 977 |
| 1960s | 1,859 |
| 1970s | 2,681 |
| 1980s | 3,090 |
| 1990s | 1,997 |
| 2000s | 1,190 |
| 2010s | 1,126 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,214 |
What Dara means
Dara has no single meaning. In Irish it is read as oak, from doire, an oak grove, or as fruitful, from Dáire. In Hebrew it is a name from Chronicles glossed as pearl of wisdom, and in Persian it is a short form of Darius, meaning possessor of good.
Where Dara comes from
Dara reaches modern use down three separate lines that happen to converge on four letters. The Irish line is itself split: doire, an oak grove, gives Derry and the name Darragh, and Dáire, meaning fruitful, is a separate old personal name — both are cited as Dara's source and reference works do not agree. The Hebrew Dara appears in the first book of Chronicles among the sons of Zerah, and rabbinic tradition attaches a meaning about wisdom to him that later reference books converted into a translation. The Persian Dara is a short form of Darayavahush, the throne name behind Darius, from a phrase meaning holding firm the good. Cambodian and Khmer use adds a fourth line, where dara means star, from Sanskrit. None of these borrowed from any other.
Dara in use
Dara ranks 90th in Northern Ireland with 26 births in 2024 and 108th in Ireland, and our data records it as unisex — in Ireland it is used mainly for boys as a form of Darragh, while its Hebrew and American use skews female. It is rising with a peak in 1981. Our records carry it from 1893, and it holds 1,129th in the United States.
How popular is Dara?
In 2025, Dara was given to 255 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Dara is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Dara
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Dara also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Dara over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Dara in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Dara
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Dara — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Dara
What does the name Dara mean?
It depends on the language. Oak in Irish, a name from Chronicles in Hebrew, and a form of Darius in Persian. None is the source of the others.
Is Dara a boy's or a girl's name?
Both — our data records it as unisex. Irish use skews male; Hebrew and American use skews female.
Is Dara short for Darragh?
In Irish use, often. Darragh comes from doire, an oak grove.
How popular is Dara?
Ninetieth in Northern Ireland and 108th in Ireland.
How many syllables are in Dara?
Dara has 2 syllables.
Is Dara a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Dara currently ranks #90 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.