Kara
Either the Italian cara, “dear,” or a Scandinavian name from Norse legend.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Kara first shows up in the national records in 1896. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 3 different years between 1984 and 1988. Its biggest year was 1991, when 3,281 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 106 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1984, at No. 95. All told, 102,025 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Cara (53,367), Kaira (3,335), Karah (3,274), Keyara (1,789), Carra (1,353), Karra (1,054) (total births since 1880)
Explore Kara interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 | No. 1583 |
| 1910s | 7 | No. 3817 |
| 1930s | 81 | No. 2101 |
| 1940s | 221 | No. 1510 |
| 1950s | 743 | No. 933 |
| 1960s | 7,039 | No. 222 |
| 1970s | 19,760 | No. 118 |
| 1980s | 27,506 | No. 95 |
| 1990s | 23,514 | No. 106 |
| 2000s | 13,491 | No. 192 |
| 2010s | 7,487 | No. 292 |
| 2020s | 1,889 | No. 669 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.