Shara
Feminine · “the plain”
Shara is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 4,945 girls against 5 boys since 1880.
The Sharon is a place. It is the coastal plain of Israel, between the hills and the sea, famous in the Song of Songs for its flowers — the rose of Sharon comes from there, and so does the name. Shara sits between that and Sarah, close enough to both that no family has to choose and no reader can tell.
How old is the name Shara?
Shara first appears in US birth records in 1927 — 98 years ago. The typical Shara alive today was born around 1979, making them about 46 years old. About 4,600 people named Shara are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Shara most popular?
Shara peaked in 1979, reaching #718 nationally. Today it ranks #13208, 12,490 places below that high. See the whole 1979 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Sharon to Shara
The story of Shara
Sharon became an extremely popular American women's name in the 1940s and 1950s, taken from the biblical place name by way of the flower. Sarah was in continuous use throughout. Shara appears in American records from 1927 and peaked in 1979, which places it squarely between the two and consistent with either — or with neither, since the same decades were producing Shanna, Shauna and Sherri from the same opening sound. It is given to daughters and to a small number of sons.
Meaningscholars disagree
the plain, or princess
If the name is read through Sharon, the Hebrew names the coastal plain and comes from a root meaning flat or level. If it is read through Sarah, the meaning is a noblewoman or princess. A third possibility is that it is simply a name built from the Sh- sound that American naming used heavily in the mid-century. None can be shown.
How the name formed
- Sharon
- Shara
Related forms: Sharon · Sarah
Pronouncing Shara
SHAR-uh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Some families say SHAIR-uh with a longer first vowel, following Sharon; both are heard and the spelling does not settle it.
Nicknames for Shara
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
- 1927
- Most girls named
- 1979232 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #718reached in 1979
- Change vs 2022
- −14.3%6 in 2025, from 7
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.
Shara in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Sharon in Hebrew — related form
- Sarah in Hebrew — related form
Sharas among us
people named Shara are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 267,878 born in 2025 was named Shara
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Leonor test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Shara's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Leonor climbed just as high around 1909, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Leonor's path sketches the road Shara is walking now.
Shara 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
Shara beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Shara in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Five letters, two syllables, and easy in any accent.
- Both possible origins are real and neither is embarrassing.
- It ends in an open vowel, which makes it sit well with long surnames.
- It is recorded for boys as well as girls, though nearly all are girls.
- The first vowel is unsettled, so the name arrives two ways.
- Sharah, Shera and Sara all sit close by and will be written instead.
- It belongs to a mid-century American generation and carries that flavor.
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What they receive
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Shara
Feminine · #13208 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Sharas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 4,600 people named Shara are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Shara in 2025?
- Shara ranks #13208 among US girl names in 2025, with 6 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Shara?
- About 1 in every 267,878 US girls born in 2025 was named Shara — 6 in all.
- Will my child share the name Shara with classmates?
- Shara will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Shara
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
John#13208 · Vinnie#13208 · Margery#13208 · Jossie#13208 · Tressa#13208 · Erie#13208 · Bernadine#13208 · Euna#13208
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Shara? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Shara and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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