Kara
Kara is both a given name and a surname with various, unrelated origins in various cultures.
- English
- Ottoman Turkish
- Norse Mythology
Meaning & Origin of Kara
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kara is both a given name and a surname with various, unrelated origins in various cultures.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Ottoman Turkish
- Norse Mythology
The Story of Kara
The earliest SSA record of Kara as a baby girl name dates back to 1896, when 5 babies received it. 1991 was its biggest year on record, with 3,280 newborns named Kara — #106 in the national rankings. About 27% of every Kara on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kara ranks #1,110 for baby girls with 218 births, falling sharply (-48%). All told, over 102K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Kara
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Kara. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Cara
- Karaugh
Names that sound like Kara
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kara 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 Kara
What does the name Kara mean?
What is the origin of the name Kara?
How popular is Kara in 2026?
When was Kara most popular?
In which U.S. states is Kara most popular?
Is Kara a unisex name?
What names go well with Kara?
What are nicknames or variants of Kara?
About the name Kara
Kara is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1896 and has accumulated 102K births in the dataset. Kara's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #95. Use the chart and map above to compare Kara's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1991 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- 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.