Tara
Tara was the 847th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 322 babies. Its best year was 1977, when it ranked 35th; the most babies were born in 1972 (7,234). Over the last ten years it has moved up 67 places. More babies were named Tara in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning Tara, Ireland ('high place'); also Sanskrit · Irish, Sanskrit
Say it TAIR-uh /ˈtɛɹə/
- Rank in 2025
- #847 girls, up 317 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 322girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19727,234 babies
- Total since 1880
- 176,355babies recorded
What does the name Tara mean?
Tara comes from Irish Teamhair, the Hill of Tara, seat of the ancient high kings of Ireland; Wiktionary glosses the Old Irish name Temair as 'high place'. As a girls' name it is derived from Tara, the plantation in Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind (1936), which was named after the Irish place. In India, Tara is a separate name from Sanskrit tārā 'star', also the name of a goddess.
Temair (Old Irish, “Tara (high place)”)तारा (tārā) (Sanskrit, “star”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Irish place name's meaning is debated; 'high place' is Wiktionary's gloss.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Tara', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'तारा', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Tara popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 543 since 1962.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #847 | 322 |
| 2020 | #1,164 | 201 |
| 2010 | #775 | 355 |
| 2000 | #239 | 1,338 |
| 1990 | #85 | 3,826 |
| 1980 | #43 | 6,283 |
| 1970 | #69 | 5,329 |
| 1960 | #367 | 684 |
| 1950 | #884 | 102 |
| 1940 | #2,402 | 13 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Tara, counting every spelling?
Tara is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #791 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #847 for Tara on its own. Together these spellings went to 345 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tara | 322 | #847 | 1,231 |
| Taara | 17 | #6,798 | 65 |
| Tarah | 6 | #14,757 | 35 |
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 Tara?
322 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tara (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Tara 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 26 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tara.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tara?
About 167,000 people born in the US named Tara are alive today, with a median age of 45; half are between 38 and 52. That makes Tara mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Tara by state
How common Tara was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Washington (2.7×), Illinois (2.2×), Massachusetts (2.0×), California (1.8×), New Jersey (1.8×). In 27 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tara: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tara, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Tara · Sibling names for Tara
Questions about the name Tara
What does Tara mean?
Tara means “Tara, Ireland ('high place'); also Sanskrit” (Irish, Sanskrit origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Tara?
Tara was the 847th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 322 babies. Its best year was 1977, when it ranked 35th; the most babies were born in 1972 (7,234). Over the last ten years it has moved up 67 places. More babies were named Tara in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Tara a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Tara in the US.
Where is Tara most popular?
In 2021–2025, Tara was most common in Washington (0.41 per 1,000 girls), followed by Illinois and Massachusetts.