Chara
Chara or Chará is a feminine given name and a surname. Chara mostly is used as the greek "Χαρά" with english lettering but Chara can also be an English name. Chara is an English feminine given name that is a diminutive form of Charlotte as well as an alternate form of Cara and Kara from the Latin cārus meaning “darling, beloved, dear, loved one”.
- Greek
Meaning & Origin of Chara
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Chara or Chará is a feminine given name and a surname. Chara mostly is used as the greek "Χαρά" with english lettering but Chara can also be an English name. Chara is an English feminine given name that is a diminutive form of Charlotte as well as an alternate form of Cara and Kara from the Latin cārus meaning “darling, beloved, dear, loved one”.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Greek
The Story of Chara
American parents first put Chara on the record books as a baby girl name in 1956, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1982, when 39 Charas were born — ranking #2,452 that year. About 27% of every Chara on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Chara last appeared in the published SSA data in 2023, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Chara
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Chara. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Charoula
Names that sound like Chara
Phonetically similar names — useful when Chara is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chara
What does the name Chara mean?
What is the origin of the name Chara?
How popular is Chara in 2026?
When was Chara most popular?
In which U.S. states is Chara most popular?
Is Chara a unisex name?
What names go well with Chara?
What are nicknames or variants of Chara?
About the name Chara
Chara is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1956 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Chara's peak popularity came in 1982 when it ranked #2,452. Use the chart and map above to compare Chara's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1982 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.