Unisex name ★ peaked 1981

Dara

Meaning An Irish saint's name, from Irish Dáire Gender Unisex · 94% girls Rank 2025 #1,129 Trend → Stable

An Irish saint's name, from Irish Dáire.

Rank 2025
#1,129
among girls · ↓95 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
255
named Dara · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,765
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1981
466 babies
All-time total
14,547
#1,368 all-time among girls
First recorded
1893
in Social Security records

Dara popularity over time

14,547 babies have been named Dara since 1893, 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
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s 5 – 5 1 – #1,481
1900s 11 – 11 1 +120% #1,755
1910s 54 – 54 5 +391% #2,498
1920s 85 – 85 9 +57% #2,309
1930s 46 – 46 5 -46% #2,625
1940s 212 – 212 21 +361% #1,242
1950s 971 6 977 98 +361% #791
1960s 1,840 19 1,859 186 +90% #562
1970s 2,650 31 2,681 268 +44% #572
1980s 2,905 185 3,090 309 +15% #469
1990s 1,808 189 1,997 200 -35% #850
2000s 1,078 112 1,190 119 -40% #1,268
2010s 1,023 103 1,126 113 -5% #1,094
2020s (to 2025) 1,004 210 1,214 202 +80% #1,034

Where Dara 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 207 0.13 outside top 500
2027 206 0.13 outside top 500
2028 206 0.13 outside top 500
2029 206 0.13 outside top 500
2030 205 0.13 outside top 500

Where Dara is most popular

Girls named Dara per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.103 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, Maryland, and New York.

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 Dara 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
New Jersey 55 0.305 +195%
Maryland 29 0.274 +165%
New York 64 0.162 +56%
Virginia 27 0.158 +53%
Florida 65 0.152 +47%
Massachusetts 17 0.141 +36%
California 117 0.139 +35%
Louisiana 12 0.137 +33%
North Carolina 29 0.127 +23%
Texas 102 0.127 +23%
Georgia 20 0.088 -15%
Connecticut 5 0.086 -17%
Arizona 12 0.086 -17%
Illinois 18 0.079 -24%
Tennessee 12 0.076 -27%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -46%
Indiana 5 0.036 -66%
Ohio 7 0.030 -71%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -80%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Dara

Dara is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,129 in 2025 with 207 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1893, 14,547 American babies have been named Dara, about 94% girls and 6% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1981, when 466 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Dara stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Dara?

The median living Dara is about 41 years old; half are between 25 and 53. An estimated 14 thousand people named Dara are alive in the United States today.

median 41 020406080100

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

Dara 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 207 #1,129 48 #2,686
2024 244 #1,034 32 #3,536
2023 107 #1,868 29 #3,815
2022 148 #1,480 38 #3,170
2021 132 #1,587 34 #3,376
2020 166 #1,329 29 #3,666
2019 227 #1,094 16 #5,624
2018 206 #1,171 20 #4,783
2017 110 #1,854 12 #6,772
2016 71 #2,523 11 #7,254
2015 65 #2,721 9 #8,188
2014 74 #2,448 6 #11,034
2013 67 #2,637 7 #9,884
2012 74 #2,480 6 #11,103
2011 52 #3,182 7 #9,857
2010 77 #2,434 9 #8,295
2009 92 #2,169 6 #11,301
2008 83 #2,340 6 #11,367
2007 81 #2,353 9 #8,324
2006 81 #2,331 11 #7,014
2005 97 #1,971 9 #7,770
2004 109 #1,759 8 #8,292
2003 115 #1,669 20 #4,142
2002 112 #1,646 7 #8,652
2001 155 #1,268 15 #4,938
2000 153 #1,271 21 #3,801
1995 163 #1,092 17 #3,732
1990 219 #884 19 #3,195
1985 222 #767 39 #1,623
1980 431 #486 9 #4,216
1975 221 #678 – –
1970 279 #617 8 #3,581
1965 149 #817 – –
1960 132 #928 – –
1955 61 #1,294 6 #3,580
1950 57 #1,225 – –
1945 18 #2,003 – –
1940 7 #3,575 – –
1935 – – – –
1930 8 #3,409 – –
1925 8 #3,752 – –
1920 8 #3,687 – –
1915 6 #3,878 – –
1910 5 #2,498 – –
1905 6 #1,755 – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Dara

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

  1. 1 Dara Singh Dara Singh Indian professional wrestler and actor (1928–2012) Contemporary
  2. 2 Dara Ó Briain Dara Ó Briain Irish comedian and television presenter (born 1972) Contemporary
  3. 3 Dara Torres Dara Torres American swimmer (born 1967) Contemporary
  4. 4 Dara Howell Dara Howell Canadian freestyle skier (born 1994) Contemporary
  5. 5 Dara Shukoh Dara Shukoh Mughal prince, author (1615–1659) 17th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Dara?

The median living Dara is about 41 years old. Half of all living Daras are between 25 and 53 years old.

How many people named Dara are alive today?

An estimated 14 thousand people named Dara are alive in the United States, based on 14,547 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Dara mean?

An Irish saint's name, from Irish Dáire.

How popular is the name Dara in 2025?

Dara ranked #1,129 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 207 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Dara?

14,547 babies have been named Dara in the United States since 1893, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Dara most popular?

Dara peaked in 1981, when 466 newborns received the name.

Is Dara a boy or girl name?

Dara is used for both: about 94% of babies named Dara have been girls and 6% boys.

Is the name Dara rising or falling?

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

Will Dara become more popular?

Dara looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 205 girls named Dara in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Dara?

Well-known people named Dara include Dara Singh (film director), Dara Ó Briain (actor), Dara Torres (swimmer).

Names like Dara

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

Compare Dara with similar names → More names starting with D →