Ara
Girl name · #3250 in 2025 · Very rare
How old is the name Ara? In official American birth records, Ara has been tracked continuously since 1880, giving it 145 years of documented American history.
Ara ranks #3250 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 48 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #3299, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 37,500 girls born in 2025 was named Ara.
The 145-year story
Ara first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 6 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 78 babies and a rank of #2364. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Ara per year. Source: Official national birth records.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Ara against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Ara in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Ara is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Ara will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Ara is most common
State-level data for Ara is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Nicknames & related forms of Ara
Ara belongs to the Arabella family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
Counted as one name, the Arabella family went to about 3,600 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #64, versus #3250 for Ara alone.
Names like Ara
Statistically, parents drawn to Ara tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Atara, Anara, Nara, Katara, and Imara.
AtaraAnaraNaraKataraImaraMearaXaraAkshara
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Ara | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 48 | #3249 |
| 2024 | 51 | #3119 |
| 2023 | 52 | #3140 |
| 2022 | 78 | #2364 |
| 2021 | 75 | #2384 |
| 2020 | 55 | #2931 |
| 2019 | 54 | #3002 |
| 2018 | 62 | #2744 |
| 2017 | 62 | #2744 |
| 2016 | 53 | #3100 |
| 2015 | 49 | #3299 |
| 2014 | 49 | #3272 |
| 2013 | 42 | #3645 |
| 2012 | 55 | #3040 |
| 2011 | 28 | #4915 |
| 2010 | 34 | #4306 |
| 2009 | 30 | #4805 |
| 2008 | 26 | #5434 |
| 2007 | 22 | #6093 |
| 2006 | 29 | #4811 |
| 2005 | 27 | #4828 |
| 2004 | 19 | #6216 |
| 2003 | 20 | #5795 |
| 2002 | 19 | #5897 |
| 2001 | 13 | #7724 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Ara?
In official American birth records, the name Ara first appeared in 1880 (over 145 years ago), when 6 newborn girls received the name. It has over a century of continuous American history.
Is Ara a popular girl name?
Ara ranked #3250 among girls in 2025 with 48 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3299.
When was the name Ara most popular?
Ara peaked in 2022, when 78 American girls received the name (ranked #2364 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Ara?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 37,500 newborn American girls was named Ara. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.