Tara
Girl name · #845 in 2025 · Uniqueness 42/100
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, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Tara against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Tara in class?
Tara scores 42 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Tara is most common
Geography matters for names, and Tara is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Taras were CA (65), TX (34), NY (27), WA (24), IL (19). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
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
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. It scores 42/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.