Amara
Amara was the 98th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,630 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 361 places. More babies were named Amara in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it uh-MAR-uh /əˈmɑrə/
- Rank in 2025
- #98 girls, up 44 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,630girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20252,630 babies
- Total since 1880
- 29,279babies recorded
What does the name Amara mean?
Amara is a modern girl's name with several suggested sources. Wiktionary describes it as a coinage of recent use, taken from fantasy fiction, and explained, for example, as a Sanskrit word for 'eternal' (Sanskrit amara, 'immortal'). Other explanations are often given, such as an Igbo word for 'grace' or a link with Latin amarus, 'bitter', but we found no dictionary source tying the name to any of them. Families may choose it with any of these associations.
How sure is this? Not documented. A modern name with several popular explanations; none is documented as its source.
Other explanations you may read: Means 'grace' in Igbo.
Related names: Amari, Amira, Mara, Amaris.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Amara', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Amara', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Amara popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 297 since 1988, 9 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #98 | 2,630 |
| 2020 | #142 | 1,920 |
| 2010 | #654 | 447 |
| 2000 | #797 | 287 |
| 1990 | #1,253 | 131 |
| 1980 | #2,868 | 31 |
| 1970 | #3,585 | 17 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Amara, counting every spelling?
Amara is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #111 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #98 for Amara on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,885 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amara | 2,630 | #98 | 11,181 |
| Amarah | 195 | #1,186 | 812 |
| Amarra | 21 | #5,735 | 125 |
| Ammara | 10 | #9,501 | 47 |
| Amarrah | 9 | #10,158 | 40 |
| Ammarah | 10 | #9,502 | 39 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Amara?
2,630 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Amara (0.73 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Amara born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Amara.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Amara?
About 28,700 people born in the US named Amara are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 15. That makes Amara a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Amara by state
How common Amara was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (3.6×), New Mexico (3.4×), District of Columbia (2.4×), Alaska (2.1×), Rhode Island (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Vermont, Louisiana, Wyoming.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Amara: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Amara, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Amara · Sibling names for Amara
Questions about the name Amara
How popular is the name Amara?
Amara was the 98th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,630 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 361 places. More babies were named Amara in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Amara a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Amara in the US.
Where is Amara most popular?
In 2021–2025, Amara was most common in Hawaii (4.97 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Mexico and District of Columbia.