Dara
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Dara
Though Dara was an (extremely wise) male figure in the Bible, this name feels mostly feminine to modern Americans. The Irish Gaelic version, Darragh, is well-used in contemporary times for boys.
Dara for girls#1129 US
While Dara dropped out of the Top 1000 a couple of decades ago, it's one of those magic names that feels neither fashionable nor unfashionable. This timeless quality can be an advantage for a child over time. And Dara has the cross-cultural thing going for it as well. It's also a Slavic name, meaning "gift".
The cousin-name Daria was featured a few seasons ago as the smart and cynical star of her own eponymous animated MTV show.
Dara for boys#2686 US
Though Dara in the U.S. would be considered mainly a girls' name – the most recent count is 10 times as many girls given the name last year than boys – it's a boys' name in Ireland, where it's in the Top 100 along with variations Daire and Darragh.
Dara is also a boys' name in many non-Western cultures, meaning "leader" in Punjabi, "star" in Khmer, and "wealthy" in Persian. And Dara is a male character -- an elf ally of Princess Ciri -- in the popular book, video game and TV series The Witcher.
Pronounced DAR-uh.
As of October 2026, Dara ranked #1129 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #470 in 1981, Nameberry popularity #865.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,447 | 74 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #2,721 | 65 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #2,523 | 71 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #1,854 | 110 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #1,171 | 206 | #4,782 | 20 |
| 2019 | #1,094 | 227 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #1,328 | 166 | #3,664 | 29 |
| 2021 | #1,587 | 132 | #3,374 | 34 |
| 2022 | #1,480 | 148 | #3,166 | 38 |
| 2023 | #1,866 | 107 | #3,807 | 29 |
| 2024 | #1,026 | 244 | #3,525 | 32 |
| 2025 | #1,129 | 207 | #2,686 | 48 |
World rankings
Dara for girls
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Dara on lists
Famous Daras
- Dara Grace TorresGirl
American Olympic swimmer
- Dara Bubamara (born Radojka Kesić)Girl
Serbian singer
- Sandara 'Dara' ParkGirl
Korean pop singer of the group 2NE1
- Dara Joy MacleanGirl
American Christian singer
- Dara Terzić ŠterićGirl
Serbian gymnast
- Dara BrownGirl
American actress and news anchor
- Dara SedakaGirl
American singer, daughter of musician Neil Sedaka
- Darina 'Dara' YotovaGirl
Bulgarian singer and songwriter
- DaraBoy
grandson of Judah, great,grandson of Israel (1 Chr. 2:6)
- Dara O BriainBoy
an Irish comedian and TV presenter
- Olu Dara JonesBoy
American musician, father of rapper Nas
- Nasir "Nas" bin Olu Dara JonesBoy
American rapper
Dara in pop culture
- DaraGirl
Merlin's mother in the "Chronicles of Amber"
- Dara Jacqueline WarrenGirl
character in novel "Vanishing Girls"