Tara
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Tara
A multicultural choice steeped in mythology, Tara was popular in the US back in the 70s and 80s, likely owing to its appearance in the novel and subsequent movie, Gone with the Wind, in which it's the name of the O'Hara plantation. It was kept in the spotlight by the 1960s British series, The Avengers, and by the American soap, All My Children, both of which featured characters called Tara.
But don't dismiss it as a too-recently-retro option just yet. There's much more to the name than that, linked as it is to the stars and to sacred hills.
From its Irish roots, Tara is an Anglicized form of Teamhair, connected to the Irish place, the Hill of Tara in Country Meath. A sacred burial place and a ceremonial site, it is said to be the place where the Irish High Kings were crowed. The exact meaning of the name is contested, with "elevated place, a height with a view" being one theory and "sanctuary, sacred place" being another.
From its Sanskrit roots, Tara means "star" and is the name of a Hindu goddess who is kidnapped by the moon god Chandra, leading to a great war that Brahma had to stop. Additionally, it is the name of a female Buddha, who saves and protects beings for spiritual and worldly dangers.
Occasionally used as a feminine form of Taras, a Russian and Ukrainian name referring to an ancient Italian city, it is also the name of a river and hill in Serbia, a Japanese name meaning "many orchid", and the Māori word the white-fronted tern (a seabird). It is, very occasionally, used as a masculine name too.
Out of style in the US until very recently, it re-entered the Top 1000 in 2025, having doubled in popularity since 2023. Also familiar across India, Nepal, Iran, Ireland, Serbia, Australia, England and Wales, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Slovenia, it is a truly versatile choice.
As with many multicultural names, the pronunciation of Tara varies depending on language and location. In the UK, it would be TAH-ruh (AH like the sound in father) while in the US, it might be TA-ruh or TEHR-uh. As a Sanskrit name, it has a slightly softer sound, and could be pronounced as tah-rah, tar-uh, or thah-rah, depending on region, language, and dialect.
Tara is also given to boys.
Pronounced TAR-uh.
As of October 2026, Tara ranked #847 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #35 in 1977, Nameberry popularity #507.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #906 | 301 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #913 | 301 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #1,017 | 261 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #984 | 265 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #1,033 | 250 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #1,008 | 256 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #1,164 | 201 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #1,158 | 212 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #1,061 | 240 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #1,163 | 208 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #1,021 | 247 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #847 | 322 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
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Tara on lists
Famous Taras
- Tara ReidGirl
American actress
- Tara SutariaGirl
Indian actress
- Tara Fitzgerald (born Anne Tara G.F. Callaby)Girl
English actress
- Tara Kristen LipinskiGirl
American figure skater
- Tara SaveloGirl
American makeup artist
- Tara Lyn StrongGirl
American actress
- Tara Lynn WilsonGirl
Canadian actress
- Tara Dawn HollandGirl
Miss America 1997
- Tara Elizabeth ConnerGirl
Miss USA 2006
- Tara Leslye KempGirl
American pop singer
- Tara BuckGirl
American actress
- Tara Lynne BarrGirl
American actress
- Tara McLeodGirl
Canadian guitarist of band Kittie
- Tara Lyn SubkoffGirl
American actress
- Tara SummersGirl
English actress
- Tara Leigh PatrickGirl
birth name of Carmen Electra, American actress and model
- Tara Sue HuffmanGirl
(b. 1981), 5,year,old American girl abducted, sexually assaulted and killed in 1981
- Tara WilkieGirl
Australian rhythmic gymnast
- Tara RosaGirl
YouTube family vlogger of Living Rosa
Tara in pop culture
- Tara PlantationGirl
home of Scarlett in "Gone with the Wind"
- Tara ChamblerGirl
character from the TV show 'The Walking Dead'
- TaraGirl
character in the movie "Epic"
- "Tara RoadGirl
" 1998 novel by Maeve Binchy
- Tara GregsonGirl
main character on TV's "United States of Tara"
- Tara MaclayGirl
character on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
- Tara ThorntonGirl
character from the TV show "True Blood"
- Tara KnowlesGirl
character from the TV show "Sons of Anarchy"
- Tara ColeGirl
character from the TV show "Leverage"
- Tara WebsterGirl
character from TV show "Dance Academy"
- Tara JamesGirl
character in American Girl novel "Chrissa Stands Strong"
- Tara BrennanGirl
main character in book "13 Gifts"
- "Tara DuncanGirl
" novel by Sophie Audouin,Mamikonian
- Tara ReedyGirl
character in movie "Sleepwalking"
- "Oh TaraGirl
" song by The Knack
- Tara DoucetGirl
character in "When the Butterflies Came"
- Tara CrossleyGirl
character on TV's "Evermoor"
- Tara of HeliumGirl
a princess in the "Barsoom" novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs
- TaraGirl
character in DC Comics' "Warlord"
- TaraGirl
an android in Marvel Comics' "New Invaders"
- TaraGirl
character in the film "Shrooms"
- TaraGirl
character in the TV series "Kim Possible"
- TaraGirl
of "The Herculoids"
- Tara Fremont aka "TaraGirl
the Jungle Girl" and "Too Tall Tara," character in AC Comics
- Tara KingGirl
character on TV's "The Avengers"
- Tara*Starr LaneGirl
character in "P.S. Longer Letter Later" and "Snail Mail No More" by Ann M. Martin and Paula Danziger
- Tara MandalGirl
character on British soap opera "Coronation Street"
- Tara Markov aka TerraGirl
character in DC Comics
- Tara MehtaGirl
an incarnate deity in Virgin Comics' "Devi" series
- Tara PriceGirl
character on the crime drama "CSI: Miami"
- Tara ReynoldsGirl
character on British soap opera "Emmerdale"
- Tara WilsonGirl
character in "The Practice" and its spinoff "Boston Legal"
- TaraGirl
character in video game "Dragon Quest Monsters 2"
- TaraGirl
character in the "Mostly Ghostly" series
- Tara DesaiGirl
character on TV's "Twisted"
- TaraGirl
character in Indian film Shudhh Desi Romance
- Tara LindmanGirl
character in series "Weeds"