Yara

The multicultural Yara is a sweet but substantial choice that could make a more unusual take on Sara and also work in multiple languages. Popular in Portugal, The Netherlands, and Switzerland, familiar in the UK and France, it entered the US Top 1000 in 2017 and has been climbing the charts ever since.

As an Arabic name, Yara can mean "friend" or "small butterfly", depending on what root you follow, though it is also associated with the Persian Yārā meaning "strength" and "courage".

As a Brazilian name, it is adapted from Iara, a water nymph in Brazilian or Tupi folklore, while from Hebrew, it is a variation of Ya'ra, itself taken from Jarah, meaning "honeycomb". It's popularity in Western countries however might not be linked to any of these derivations, and might just be used as a twist on Cara, Sara, Mara, etc.

Yara Greyjoy is the name of a strong female character in HBO's Game of Thrones, sister to the troubled Theon. In George R.R. Martin's books, this same character is named Asha; the show's producers changed it to avoid confusion with similar-sounding Osha.

Yara is also given to boys, where it ranks #10639 in the US.

Pronounced YAR-a.

As of October 2026, Yara ranked #507 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #217.