Tara
Say it: TAR-a/ˈtɑːɹə/
GirlIrishMeans from the Hill of Tara4 letters2 syllables
#166
in Ireland (2025)
#168 with spellings combined
28
babies in 2025
#27
best rank (1987)
7,100
babies since 1964
Down 69
10-year rank change
Tara through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 28 | #168 |
| 2024 | 26 | #171 |
| 2023 | 41 | #113 |
| 2022 | 35 | #150 |
| 2021 | 41 | #128 |
| 2020 | 34 | #146 |
| 2019 | 59 | #97 |
| 2018 | 62 | #98 |
| 2017 | 46 | #126 |
| 2016 | 52 | #116 |
| 2015 | 65 | #99 |
| 2014 | 72 | #93 |
| 2013 | 76 | #84 |
| 2012 | 71 | #90 |
| 2011 | 92 | #74 |
| 2010 | 121 | #62 |
| 2009 | 145 | #51 |
| 2008 | 144 | #51 |
| 2007 | 151 | #46 |
| 2006 | 173 | #38 |
| 2005 | 165 | #39 |
| 2004 | 175 | #36 |
| 2003 | 147 | #40 |
| 2002 | 180 | #32 |
| 2001 | 168 | #32 |
| 2000 | 153 | #35 |
| 1999 | 167 | #29 |
| 1998 | 114 | #39 |
| 1997 | 168 | #37 |
| 1996 | 158 | #41 |
| 1995 | 151 | #38 |
| 1994 | 134 | #43 |
| 1993 | 160 | #37 |
| 1992 | 151 | #40 |
| 1991 | 138 | #45 |
| 1990 | 145 | #42 |
| 1989 | 146 | #42 |
| 1988 | 164 | #41 |
| 1987 | 235 | #27 |
| 1986 | 201 | #36 |
| 1985 | 158 | #44 |
| 1984 | 145 | #58 |
| 1983 | 120 | #71 |
| 1982 | 124 | #72 |
| 1981 | 108 | #81 |
| 1980 | 116 | #78 |
| 1979 | 127 | #72 |
| 1978 | 117 | #76 |
| 1977 | 139 | #67 |
| 1976 | 140 | #62 |
| 1975 | 142 | #62 |
| 1974 | 151 | #61 |
| 1973 | 177 | #50 |
| 1972 | 157 | #52 |
| 1971 | 133 | #67 |
| 1970 | 162 | #53 |
| 1969 | 77 | #96 |
| 1968 | 30 | #161 |
| 1967 | 12 | #221 |
| 1966 | 7 | #276 |
| 1964 | 4 | #327 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Tara mean?
From the Hill of Tara
From the Irish place name Teamhair (genitive Teamhrach), Old Irish Temair.
Say it right
TARa
Not:TAIR-a
The story of Tara
Tara is taken from the Hill of Tara in County Meath, the ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland. The English name comes from the Irish Teamhair, through its genitive form Teamhrach, and goes back to the Old Irish Temair. Temair is usually explained as “high place”, though that is not certain.
As a girl’s name it owes much to Gone with the Wind, where Tara is the name of the O’Hara family’s plantation, named after the Irish hill. Separately, Tara is also a Sanskrit name meaning “star”, the name of a goddess in Hinduism and of a female Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism.
In Ireland Tara was barely used in the mid-1960s, then rose very fast: 162 girls were given it in 1970. It stayed in the top 100 from 1969 to 2015. The most babies came in 1987, with 235 girls, when it reached number 27. In Northern Ireland its best rank was 45th, in 2000. In 2025, 28 girls were named Tara.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Tara (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Tara (given name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Tara | 28 | 7,100 |
In Northern Ireland
#259 in 2025 with 6 babies. Best rank #45 (2000); 631 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.