Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Ara

Gender Unisex · 73% girls Rank 2025 #3,255 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#3,255
among girls · ↓130 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
58
named Ara · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 33,485
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2021
93 babies
All-time total
4,866
#3,216 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Ara popularity over time

4,866 babies have been named Ara since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 141 – 141 14 – #481
1890s 195 5 200 20 +42% #558
1900s 215 – 215 22 +8% #559
1910s 375 53 428 43 +99% #896
1920s 389 110 499 50 +17% #1,039
1930s 224 76 300 30 -40% #1,221
1940s 162 37 199 20 -34% #1,794
1950s 105 34 139 14 -30% #2,894
1960s 119 135 254 25 +83% #3,071
1970s 190 242 432 43 +70% #2,971
1980s 228 175 403 40 -7% #3,148
1990s 141 139 280 28 -31% #5,731
2000s 234 97 331 33 +18% #4,193
2010s 488 110 598 60 +81% #2,750
2020s (to 2025) 359 88 447 75 +25% #2,365

Where Ara is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 47 0.03 outside top 500
2027 47 0.03 outside top 500
2028 46 0.03 outside top 500
2029 46 0.03 outside top 500
2030 45 0.03 outside top 500

Where Ara is most popular

Girls named Ara per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.037 per 1,000. Strongest in Nevada, Washington, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Ara born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Nevada 5 0.108 +187%
Washington 10 0.069 +85%
California 47 0.056 +49%
New York 18 0.045 +21%
Arizona 5 0.036 -5%
Texas 23 0.029 -24%
Florida 7 0.016 -56%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ara

Ara is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,255 in 2025 with 48 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 4,866 American babies have been named Ara, about 73% girls and 27% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 93 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ara stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ara?

The median living Ara is about 30 years old; half are between 10 and 50. An estimated 3,000 people named Ara are alive in the United States today.

median 30 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ara year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 48 #3,255 10 #7,714
2024 51 #3,125 14 #6,217
2023 52 #3,144 20 #4,895
2022 78 #2,365 9 #8,361
2021 75 #2,387 18 #5,127
2020 55 #2,933 17 #5,246
2019 54 #3,006 16 #5,568
2018 62 #2,752 12 #6,732
2017 62 #2,750 17 #5,308
2016 53 #3,105 13 #6,381
2015 49 #3,304 10 #7,531
2014 49 #3,278 7 #9,718
2013 42 #3,650 10 #7,570
2012 55 #3,045 9 #8,199
2011 28 #4,932 10 #7,539
2010 34 #4,318 6 #10,858
2009 30 #4,814 10 #7,726
2008 26 #5,454 13 #6,419
2007 22 #6,124 7 #9,850
2006 29 #4,830 13 #6,117
2005 27 #4,847 14 #5,591
2004 19 #6,250 8 #8,190
2003 20 #5,830 6 #9,654
2002 19 #5,920 9 #7,083
2001 13 #7,778 10 #6,480
2000 29 #4,193 7 #8,256
1995 14 #6,283 10 #5,524
1990 14 #6,146 13 #4,183
1985 22 #3,737 21 #2,431
1980 23 #3,513 27 #2,004
1975 24 #2,971 34 #1,531
1970 6 #7,113 16 #2,301
1965 15 #3,270 13 #2,274
1960 9 #4,451 11 #2,541
1955 9 #4,082 – –
1950 13 #2,915 – –
1945 21 #1,826 – –
1940 20 #1,794 – –
1935 21 #1,665 15 #1,841
1930 16 #2,116 8 #3,036
1925 35 #1,350 11 #2,601
1920 51 #1,039 8 #3,223
1915 47 #969 8 #2,842
1910 23 #896 5 #1,601
1905 17 #903 – –
1900 25 #726 – –
1895 22 #658 – –
1890 22 #558 – –
1885 17 #523 – –
1880 6 #744 – –

Famous people named Ara

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ara Malikian Ara Malikian Musical artist b. 1968 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Ara Güler Ara Güler Turkish photographer (1928–2018) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ara Abrahamian Ara Abrahamian Armenian-Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler b. 1975 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ara, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ara?

The median living Ara is about 30 years old. Half of all living Aras are between 10 and 50 years old.

How many people named Ara are alive today?

An estimated 3,000 people named Ara are alive in the United States, based on 4,866 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Ara in 2025?

Ara ranked #3,255 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 48 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ara?

4,866 babies have been named Ara in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ara most popular?

Ara peaked in 2021, when 93 newborns received the name.

Is Ara a boy or girl name?

Ara is used for both: about 73% of babies named Ara have been girls and 27% boys.

Is the name Ara rising or falling?

Ara is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ara become more popular?

Ara looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 45 girls named Ara in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ara?

Well-known people named Ara include Ara Malikian (musician), Ara Güler (journalist), Ara Abrahamian (athlete).

Names like Ara

Names that sound and feel close to Ara: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ara with similar names → More names starting with A →