Zara
Girl name · #212 in 2025 · Uniqueness 46/100
In 2025, 1,432 baby girls were named Zara, placing it at #212 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #401, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 1,257 girls born in 2025 was named Zara.
The 129-year story
Zara first appears in the Social Security records in 1896, when 5 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 1,441 babies and a rank of #201. 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 Zara per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Zara against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Zara in class?
Zara scores 46 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 Zara is most common
Geography matters for names, and Zara is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Zaras were TX (167), CA (141), FL (96), NY (89), PA (84). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Zara
Statistically, parents drawn to Zara tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Yara, Amara, Samara, Myla, and Mira.
YaraAmaraSamaraMylaMiraZahraAmoraKaia
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Zara | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,432 | #212 |
| 2024 | 1,333 | #233 |
| 2023 | 1,285 | #236 |
| 2022 | 1,441 | #201 |
| 2021 | 1,413 | #212 |
| 2020 | 1,335 | #217 |
| 2019 | 1,321 | #238 |
| 2018 | 1,282 | #253 |
| 2017 | 1,157 | #282 |
| 2016 | 1,024 | #319 |
| 2015 | 809 | #401 |
| 2014 | 765 | #420 |
| 2013 | 630 | #482 |
| 2012 | 537 | #552 |
| 2011 | 449 | #634 |
| 2010 | 393 | #718 |
| 2009 | 367 | #774 |
| 2008 | 376 | #780 |
| 2007 | 408 | #718 |
| 2006 | 312 | #856 |
| 2005 | 270 | #920 |
| 2004 | 179 | #1229 |
| 2003 | 222 | #1032 |
| 2002 | 145 | #1338 |
| 2001 | 142 | #1348 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Zara a popular girl name?
Zara ranked #212 among girls in 2025 with 1,432 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #401.
When was the name Zara most popular?
Zara peaked in 2022, when 1,441 American girls received the name (ranked #201 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Zara?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 1,257 newborn American girls was named Zara. It scores 46/100 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.