Tara
Girl name · #845 in 2025 · Rare
How old is the name Tara? In official American birth records, Tara has been tracked continuously since 1939, giving it 86 years of documented American history.
Tara is currently the #845 girl name in the United States — 322 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #911, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 5,590 girls born in 2025 was named Tara.
The 86-year story
Tara first appears in the Social Security records in 1939, when 7 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1972, when 7,234 girls were named Tara — good for #38 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. 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 Tara per year. Source: Official national birth records.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Tara against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Tara in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Tara is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Tara will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Tara is most common
Geography matters for names, and Tara is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Tara is most common in WA (0.8 per 1,000), MA (0.5 per 1,000), IL (0.4 per 1,000), CA (0.4 per 1,000), NY (0.3 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.2 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Tara is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Tara
Statistically, parents drawn to Tara tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Tamara, Dara, Lara, Cara, and Kara.
TamaraDaraLaraCaraKaraDanaTerraLiza
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Tara | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 322 | #844 |
| 2024 | 249 | #1018 |
| 2023 | 208 | #1162 |
| 2022 | 240 | #1059 |
| 2021 | 212 | #1153 |
| 2020 | 201 | #1163 |
| 2019 | 257 | #1004 |
| 2018 | 250 | #1032 |
| 2017 | 265 | #983 |
| 2016 | 261 | #1012 |
| 2015 | 301 | #911 |
| 2014 | 301 | #905 |
| 2013 | 282 | #906 |
| 2012 | 336 | #797 |
| 2011 | 303 | #863 |
| 2010 | 355 | #774 |
| 2009 | 425 | #687 |
| 2008 | 491 | #628 |
| 2007 | 581 | #538 |
| 2006 | 685 | #463 |
| 2005 | 929 | #340 |
| 2004 | 977 | #323 |
| 2003 | 927 | #336 |
| 2002 | 1,060 | #295 |
| 2001 | 1,159 | #273 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Tara?
In official American birth records, the name Tara first appeared in 1939 (over 86 years ago), when 7 newborn girls received the name. It has been tracked in modern national records for 86 years.
Is Tara a popular girl name?
Tara ranked #845 among girls in 2025 with 322 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #911.
When was the name Tara most popular?
Tara peaked in 1972, when 7,234 American girls received the name (ranked #38 that year). Since 1972 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Tara?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 5,590 newborn American girls was named Tara. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.