Girl · #1,017 in 2026

Tara

Tara is a given name with multiple meanings in different cultures.

Current Rank
#1,017
Peak Rank
#35 (1972)
Total Babies
176K
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1939
First Year
2026
Last Year
1972
Peak Year
#35
Peak Rank
176K
Total Count
88
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Tara

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Tara is a given name with multiple meanings in different cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Tara

Tara first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1939, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1972, when 7,234 Taras were born — ranking #38 that year. As of 2026, Tara ranks #1,017 for baby girls with 249 births, holding steady (+0%). In total, more than 176K Taras have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1930s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Tara

Phonetically similar names — useful when Tara 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 Tara

What does the name Tara mean?
Tara is a given name with multiple meanings in different cultures.
How popular is Tara in 2026?
In 2026, Tara ranks #1,017 among girls' names in the U.S., with 249 babies given the name that year.
When was Tara most popular?
Tara reached its peak popularity in 1972, ranking #35 that year with 7,234 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Tara most popular?
Tara has historically been most popular in New Jersey, Wyoming, New York. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Tara.
Is Tara a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Tara is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Tara?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Tara include Jane, Connie, Carole. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Tara

Tara is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1939 and has accumulated 176K births in the dataset. Tara's peak popularity came in 1972 when it ranked #35. Use the chart and map above to compare Tara's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.