Yara

يَارَا

Girl Arabic/Persian /YAH-rah/ #613 in 2023

Yara is a girl name of Arabic/Persian origin.

Meaning of Yara

"Small butterfly; beloved friend." Persian-origin name adopted into Arabic. In Brazilian/Tupi culture, Yara is also a water goddess — a surprising global convergence.

Arabic root: Arabic via Persian — "small butterfly; beloved"

Regional variants

Actress Yara Shahidi (Grown-ish, Black-ish) gave this name a major US visibility boost. Cross-cultural: reads as Arabic, Persian, Brazilian, or Basque depending on context.

Popularity of Yara

Popularity, 1969–2023

486 births in 2023

1969 2023

6,426 U.S. births recorded from 1969–2023.

Peak year

2022

525 babies

First recorded

1969

54 years of history

Recent trend

Rising

Last 5 yrs vs. prior 5

Variants & nicknames

YarahIara

Famous people named Yara

Yara Shahidi (actress)

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meaning and cultural context drawn from classical sources: Lisan al-Arab, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Qur'an and Sunnah. If you spot an error, please let us know.