Ara
Feminine
Ara is given to both — 3,565 girls and 1,301 boys since 1880. See Ara as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Ara is three letters that several unrelated languages have arrived at independently — an Armenian king, a Latin altar in the southern sky, and an Arabic word. It has been in American records since the nineteenth century.
How old is the name Ara?
Ara was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Ara alive today was born around 1954, making them about 71 years old. About 2,000 people named Ara are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ara most popular?
Ara peaked in 1884, reaching #479 nationally. Today it ranks #3249, 2,770 places below that high. See the whole 1884 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Ara
The Armenian Ara the Beautiful is a figure of national legend, and his name has been carried by Armenian men for centuries. The Latin ara gave astronomy one of its oldest constellation names. The nineteenth-century American Ara is a different matter again — one of many short forms that were registered as complete names on the census, alongside Ora, Eva and Ida. All three lines feed the modern name.
Meaningnot established
Not established
There is no single source. Armenian Ara is a legendary king and a men's name still in use. Latin ara is an altar and names a southern constellation. Arabic and Persian have their own words of the same shape, and nineteenth-century American Ara is often a short form of Arabella or Sarah.
Pronouncing Ara
AH-rah
Two syllables, first stressed, both vowels open. Some American families say AIR-uh.
Nicknames for Ara
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 202278 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #479reached in 1884
- Change vs 2022
- −38.5%48 in 2025, from 78
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Ara in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Արա in Armenian — transliteration
- Ara in Latin — related form
- Ara in Basque — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Aras among us
people named Ara are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 33,485 born in 2025 was named Ara
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Ara
- #3249
- Ara on the 2025 chart
- #890
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Ara went to 48 girls in 2025, but Aara, Arah and Arra are the same name said out loud. Together the 4 spellings went to 70, which makes it the 890th most-given girls’ name of the year — 2,359 places above the chart.
- Ara48
- Aara11
- Arah6
- Arra5
About 1 girl in 22,961 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 33,485 for Ara itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Ara 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 scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Ara is headed
Ara should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Ara beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ara in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Three letters — about as short as a name can be while remaining a word.
- Readable in Armenian, Latin, Spanish, Arabic and English without change.
- Genuine nineteenth-century American history alongside its older uses.
- In Armenian it is firmly a men's name, which is worth knowing before choosing it.
- The first vowel is said two ways in American English.
- Ara, Aria and Arya are close enough to be confused in speech and writing.
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What they receive
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Ara
Feminine · #3249 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Aras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,000 people named Ara are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Ara?
- Ara is the most-used spelling in US records — 48 of the 70 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Aara, Arah and Arra.
- How popular is the name Ara in 2025?
- Ara ranks #3249 among US girl names in 2025, with 48 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Ara?
- About 1 in every 33,485 US girls born in 2025 was named Ara — 48 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ara with classmates?
- Ara will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Ara
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Aisley#3249 · Quinley#3249 · Rosetta#3249 · Avalee#3249 · Unknown#3249 · Livi#3249 · Delina#3249 · Aniah#3249
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ara? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ara and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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