Dara
Meaning of Dara
Dara is a four-letter passport to history and heart: in Hebrew she carries the sparkle of a “pearl of wisdom,” in Irish Gaelic she grows from the sturdy “oak,” and in everyday American English she simply rolls off the tongue as friendly DAIR-uh—short, bright, impossible to miss. She has brushed shoulders with the Bible (a famously wise descendant of Judah), drifted through Celtic forests, and even twinkled as “star” in Southeast Asia, so parents get a globe’s worth of good stories in one small package. With a popularity curve that rises and dips like a gentle heartbeat—never too trendy, never quite gone—Dara feels both familiar and refreshingly under-used. Add her effortless spelling, soft sound, and tree-strong roots, and she becomes a tiny name that promises big things: calm wisdom, quiet strength, and just a hint of celestial sparkle for the little girl who wears her.
Pronunciation
Hebrew
- Pronunced as DAH-rah (/da.ʁa/)
Irish
- Pronunced as DAHR-uh (/ˈdɑrə/)
American English
- Pronunced as DAIR-uh (/ˈdɛrə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Dara
| Dara Shikoh was the favored eldest son and heir of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan but lost a bitter succession war to his younger brother Aurangzeb, who had him executed in 1659. |
| Dara Torres is an American swimmer who won 12 Olympic medals, competed in five Olympic Games, and at age 41 became the oldest swimmer ever to make the American Olympic team. |
| Dara Khosrowshahi is the Iranian American CEO of Uber and the former head of Expedia Group. |
| Dara Birnbaum was an American video and installation artist who worked in New York City. |
| Dara Treseder - Nigerian-born American business executive Oluwadara Johnson Treseder is a Harvard and Stanford MBA graduate who sits on the boards of Robinhood and the Public Health Institute. |
| Dara O'Shea is an Irish footballer who captains Ipswich Town in the Premier League and defends for the Republic of Ireland. |
| Dara McAnulty is a Northern Irish naturalist and autistic writer who won the Wainwright Prize in 2020 and became the youngest ever recipient of the RSPB Medal. |
| Dara Fitzpatrick was a senior Irish Coast Guard search and rescue pilot who lost her life when the Rescue 116 helicopter she captained crashed in March 2017. |
| Dara Howell is a Canadian freestyle skier who made history by winning the first ever Olympic gold medal in women's ski slopestyle at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. |
| Dara Reneé is an American actress and singer known for playing Kourtney in the High School Musical series and earning an Emmy nomination as Uliana in Descendants: The Rise of Red. |
| Dara Costelloe is an Irish footballer who plays as a forward for Wigan Athletic after spells with Galway United and Burnley. |
| Dara M. Wilson is a naturalist and science educator who co-chairs the Black Birders Week Advisory Group and was named a 2022-2023 Cecil Corbin-Mark Vanguard Fellow. |
| Miami-born Dara Maclean is a Christian singer and songwriter raised in Texas who released her debut album You Got My Attention in 2011. |
| Dara O'Kearney is an Irish ultra runner and professional poker player from Ennis in County Clare. |
| Dara Dotiwalla was an Indian cricket umpire who officiated 14 international matches, including only the second tied Test in history. |
