girl's name
Zara
ZAR-a
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 52,184
the United States
#212
2025 births
Zara is a girl's name with more than one origin. It is read as "radiance" or "blossom" from the Arabic zahrah, and as a form of Sarah, meaning "princess," from Hebrew — and both readings are in active use.
- Zara is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 1,441 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,315 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1896.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Zara 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 | 10 |
| 1900s | 29 |
| 1910s | 112 |
| 1920s | 107 |
| 1930s | 59 |
| 1940s | 76 |
| 1950s | 67 |
| 1960s | 59 |
| 1970s | 200 |
| 1980s | 354 |
| 1990s | 709 |
| 2000s | 2,542 |
| 2010s | 8,367 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,239 |
What Zara means
Zara means flower, blossom or radiance in its Arabic reading, from zahrah. In its Hebrew reading it carries the meaning of Sarah, princess or noblewoman.
Where Zara comes from
The Arabic route runs through zahrah, flower or blossom, related to zahara, to shine — the same root behind Al-Zahra, the Radiant, an epithet of Fatima. The Hebrew route treats Zara as a variant of Zarah or Sarah, from sarah, princess. A third strand comes through literature: Zara appears as an exotic heroine's name in eighteenth-century English drama, well before either community's modern use. In Britain the name gained visibility from Zara Tindall, born 1981, granddaughter of Elizabeth II — which is why our data shows it used widely outside Muslim families here.
Zara in use
Our data shows Zara at 73 in England and Wales, peaking in 2022 and still rising, and it first appears in United States records as early as 1896. It is one of the clearest cases of a name that belongs fully to two traditions at once, which is why we do not assign it a single origin.
How popular is Zara?
In 2025, Zara was given to 1,432 babies in the United States, ranking #212 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Zara 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 Zara
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Zara also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Zara over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Zara
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Zara 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 Zara
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Zara — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Zara
What does the name Zara mean?
In Arabic, "blossom" or "radiance," from zahrah. In Hebrew, it is read as a form of Sarah, princess.
Is Zara Arabic or Hebrew?
Both traditions use it independently. Neither reading is a corruption of the other.
Is Zara related to Zahra?
Closely. Zahra is the fuller Arabic form; Zara is the shortened spelling common in Britain.
How popular is the name Zara?
In 2025, Zara was given to 1,432 babies in the United States, ranking #212 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Zara a girl's or a boy's name?
Zara is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Zara?
Zara has 2 syllables.
When was Zara most popular?
Zara peaked in 2022, when 1,441 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Zara?
Zara is usually shortened to Zar.
Is Zara a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Zara currently ranks #36 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.