girl's name
Farrah
FA-rah
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 15,934
Northern Ireland
#155
2024 births
Farrah is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "joy," and its peak in our records is 1977 — the year after one poster sold twelve million copies. It ranks 155th in Northern Ireland and is falling.
- Farrah is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in 1977, when 1,515 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 19,734 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1968.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Farrah over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 6 |
| 1970s | 3,039 |
| 1980s | 1,458 |
| 1990s | 1,195 |
| 2000s | 1,534 |
| 2010s | 3,799 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,132 |
What Farrah means
Farrah means joy, happiness or delight, from the Arabic farah. The word is the ordinary noun for gladness, so the name states the emotion directly rather than describing someone who causes it.
Where Farrah comes from
Farrah comes from the Arabic farah, joy or gladness. A separate English surname Farrah exists, from the Middle English ferrour, a smith or farrier, and the two are unconnected. The name's Western life rests almost entirely on Farrah Fawcett, whose 1976 red-swimsuit poster is generally reckoned the best-selling pinup ever printed at around twelve million copies, and who starred in Charlie's Angels from 1976. Our data shows the effect precisely: the name's peak is 1977, the year after both. Her own name came from her mother, who reportedly chose it because it sounded good with Fawcett. Farah, Farida and Farhan share the Arabic root, and Farah Diba, the last Empress of Iran, carried the standard spelling.
Farrah in use
Farrah ranks 155th in Northern Ireland with 13 births in 2024 and 1,331st in the United States, and it is falling in our data from a peak in 1977 — one of the sharpest single-year peaks in our whole set, and directly attributable. Our records carry it from 1968. It appears in Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales and France in small numbers.
How popular is Farrah?
In 2025, Farrah was given to 168 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Farrah 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 Farrah
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Farrah also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Farrah over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Farrah 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 Farrah
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Farrah — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Farrah
What does the name Farrah mean?
Farrah means "joy," from the Arabic farah.
Is Farrah named after Farrah Fawcett?
Its Western use is almost entirely hers — our records peak in 1977, the year after her poster and Charlie's Angels.
What is the difference between Farrah and Farah?
Farah is the standard Arabic transliteration; Farrah is the spelling Farrah Fawcett used.
How popular is Farrah?
155th in Northern Ireland.
Is Farrah a girl's or a boy's name?
Farrah is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Farrah?
Farrah has 2 syllables.
Is Farrah a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Farrah currently ranks #155 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.