Head to head · Girls' names
Aitana vs Zara
#211 vs #212 in 2025
Aitana is a whisker ahead (#211 vs #212 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Aitana is climbing the charts fast, Zara is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Aitana and Zara each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1890s: Aitana —, Zara #1590 — Zara higher
- 1900s: Aitana —, Zara #1555 — Zara higher
- 1910s: Aitana —, Zara #2246 — Zara higher
- 1920s: Aitana —, Zara #3000 — Zara higher
- 1930s: Aitana —, Zara #3450 — Zara higher
- 1940s: Aitana —, Zara #3293 — Zara higher
- 1950s: Aitana —, Zara #4839 — Zara higher
- 1960s: Aitana —, Zara #5352 — Zara higher
- 1970s: Aitana —, Zara #3468 — Zara higher
- 1980s: Aitana —, Zara #2775 — Zara higher
- 1990s: Aitana #7563, Zara #2053 — Zara higher
- 2000s: Aitana #9768, Zara #1051 — Zara higher
- 2010s: Aitana #3184, Zara #430 — Zara higher
- 2020s: Aitana #283, Zara #219 — Zara higher
Zara stood higher in every recorded decade — 14 of 14.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Aitana | Zara |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | — | #1590 |
| 1900s | — | #1555 |
| 1910s | — | #2246 |
| 1920s | — | #3000 |
| 1930s | — | #3450 |
| 1940s | — | #3293 |
| 1950s | — | #4839 |
| 1960s | — | #5352 |
| 1970s | — | #3468 |
| 1980s | — | #2775 |
| 1990s | #7563 | #2053 |
| 2000s | #9768 | #1051 |
| 2010s | #3184 | #430 |
| 2020s | #283 | #219 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Aitana
Not charting outside the US.
Zara
- Scotland#56
- England & Wales#69
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Aitana
From the Sierra de Aitana, a mountain range in Alicante, Spain
That the name comes from the mountain is not in doubt. What the mountain's own name means is: scholars have proposed both pre-Roman and Arabic layers for it, and neither reading has won. A separate popular explanation links Aitana to Basque aita, 'father', but that connection is not established.
How it traveled
The name begins as geography — a limestone ridge in the province of Alicante, one of the highest points in the Valencian Community. Spanish parents took it up as a girl's name over the course of the twentieth century, and by the early 2000s it was widely used across Spain, Catalan- and Castilian-speaking regions alike.
Zara
"blossom, flowering" or "radiant" (Arabic); "dawning, rising" (Hebrew)
Two serious roads meet at this spelling. One runs from Arabic zahrah, "flower, blossom," and the related Zahra, "radiant, bright" — long established across the Arabic-speaking world, Turkey and Bosnia. The other runs from Hebrew Zerah, "dawning" or "rising," which appears as Zara in the Latin Vulgate and the English translations that followed it. A third strand treats Zara simply as a variant of Sarah, "lady, princess." None of these cancels the others out; the name genuinely carries all three histories.
Zahrah → Zahra → Zara
How it traveled
The Arabic line is the deepest and widest: Zahra and Zahrah have been given for centuries from Morocco to Indonesia, and the form Zehra is standard in Turkish and Bosnian. Separately, Latin and early English Bibles rendered the Hebrew name Zerah as Zara, which is how the spelling first became readable to European eyes.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Aitana
eye-TAH-nah
The Spanish ai is the vowel in 'eye'. English speakers often reach for 'ay-TAH-nah' instead, which is close enough that it usually passes, but the eye- opening is the Spanish one.
- Tana — The most natural English-language short form, taken from the stressed middle syllable; also exists as a name in its own right.
- Aitanita — The standard Spanish affectionate diminutive, formed with -ita; used within families rather than at school or work.
- Ita — A shorter household form heard in Spanish-speaking families, informal only.
Zara
ZAR-ah
Two pronunciations circulate in the US: ZAR-ah, with the vowel of "car," and ZAIR-ah, with the vowel of "air." The first is closer to the Arabic and the usual British reading; both are accepted, so it is worth deciding which one you want and saying it clearly at introductions.
- Zaza — The most common affectionate form; informal, used within families rather than on paperwork.
- Z — A one-letter nickname among friends and siblings; also used in text and email.
- Zari — Informal extension; also stands alone as a given name in its own right.
- Zar — Clipped and casual, mostly heard among schoolmates.
Who has carried each name
Aitana
Aitana Bonmatí (b. 1998) — Multiple Ballon d'Or-winning Spanish soccer star
Zara
Zara Larsson (b. 1997) — Swedish pop star ("Lush Life")
Zara Tindall (b. 1981) — British royal and Olympic silver-medal equestrian
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Aitana if you want…
- a name on the way upup 154 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itAitana runs 3 syllables, Zara 2
Choose Zara if you want…
- a name holding steadyZara is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesZara is 2 syllables to Aitana's 3
- a name that charts abroad tooZara is on the national lists of Scotland and England & Wales
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Aitana
Strengths
- Spelled exactly as it sounds in Spanish, and one syllable at a time in English — most people get it on the second try.
- One spelling, no rival variants competing for it, in both Spanish and English use.
- Three even syllables ending in -a, which sits comfortably beside both short and long surnames.
To consider
- Outside Spanish-speaking communities it is still unfamiliar enough that she will spell it aloud fairly often, and hear 'ay' where 'eye' belongs.
- It sits close to Ayana, Aiyana and Atiana in sound, so mishearings are more likely than misspellings.
- The American wave is very new, so nearly everyone with this name here is a small child — it will read as a young name for another generation or two, then simply as a name.
Zara
Strengths
- Short, phonetic and instantly spellable — five letters that almost no English speaker will need repeated.
- At home in Arabic, Turkish, Bosnian and English-speaking countries alike, which travels well across a mixed family.
- A documented record in English going back to the seventeenth-century stage and to Latin Bible translation, alongside centuries of Arabic use.
To consider
- Zara is also one of the world's largest clothing retailers, and most adults will think of the shop first. In practice this fades fast for the child, but expect the association to be mentioned.
- The ZAR-ah versus ZAIR-ah split means occasional correcting for life, in both directions.
- It sits close to Zahra, Zora, Zaria, Zaire and Sara, so misheard spellings on forms are likely.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Aitana
56%chance Aitana feels dated by 2040
Aitana is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
Zara
40%chance Zara feels dated by 2040
Zara sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Aitana and Zara in full.
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Decide together
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Names ending in -ana
- Names ending in -na
- Short and sweet: names of four letters or fewer
- The steadiest names in America
- all guides
Where Aitana and Zara each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Aitana or Zara — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Aitana or Zara?
- Aitana, in 2025: Aitana ranked #211 with 1,435 babies; Zara ranked #212 with 1,432 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Aitana or Zara?
- Aitana. Over the last five years Aitana moved up 154 places; Zara moved up 5 places.
- Which is the older name, Aitana or Zara?
- Aitana entered the US charts in 1995; Zara entered the US charts in 1896. On the American record, Zara is the older name.
- How many people are named Aitana and Zara?
- About 9,800 people named Aitana are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 20,500 people named Zara are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Aitanas or Zaras in the classroom?
- Aitana will almost certainly be the only one in school. Zara will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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