Kara
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- KAH-ra
- Origin
- Italian
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,019 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #1,071 for girls
Kara is a girls' name of Italian origin, meaning “dear, beloved”. In 2025 it ranked 1,019th for girls in the UK (36 babies) and 1,071st for girls in the US (226 babies).
What does Kara mean?
Italian: spelling of Cara, from Italian cara
“dear, beloved”
Spelling of Cara, from Italian cara, dear; it also matches Irish cara, friend, and Turkish kara, black.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kara a girl's or a boy's name?
Kara is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 36 girls in the UK and 226 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kara in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,019among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 36about 1 in 7,700 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 59% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 36 girls in the UK were named Kara, making it the 1,019th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 475th. Its busiest year was 2011, with 367 girls.
2025 had the fewest girls named Kara since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Kara in the UK since 1996 were born between 2002 and 2013. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,079th in England and Wales and 539th in Scotland.
Kara in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 36 | #1,019 |
| 2024 | 47 | #840 |
| 2023 | 55 | #710 |
| 2022 | 40 | #936 |
| 2021 | 74 | #584 |
| 2020 | 93 | #475 |
| 2019 | 116 | #409 |
| 2018 | 127 | #389 |
| 2017 | 192 | #284 |
| 2016 | 179 | #307 |
| 2015 | 129 | #392 |
| 2014 | 177 | #296 |
| 2013 | 178 | #295 |
| 2012 | 264 | #210 |
| 2011 | 367 | #162 |
| 2010 | 285 | #205 |
| 2009 | 346 | #179 |
| 2008 | 311 | #193 |
| 2007 | 271 | #220 |
| 2006 | 218 | #246 |
| 2005 | 178 | #276 |
| 2004 | 202 | #249 |
| 2003 | 203 | #246 |
| 2002 | 196 | #243 |
| 2001 | 231 | #199 |
| 2000 | 214 | #223 |
| 1999 | 170 | #264 |
| 1998 | 196 | #239 |
| 1997 | 214 | #218 |
| 1996 | 177 | #249 |
How popular is Kara in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,071among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 226about 1 in 7,100 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 51% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 226 girls in the US were named Kara, making it the 1,071st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 669th. Its busiest year was 1991, with 3,281 girls. It first appears in the records in 1896.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 7 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Kara than any year since 1960.
Half of all the girls named Kara in the US since 1880 were born between 1978 and 1998, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 237 girls in the US were given Kara or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #963, up from #1,071 for this spelling alone.
Kara in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 226 | #1,071 |
| 2024 | 261 | #990 |
| 2023 | 283 | #936 |
| 2022 | 319 | #869 |
| 2021 | 373 | #764 |
| 2020 | 427 | #669 |
| 2019 | 530 | #576 |
| 2018 | 621 | #500 |
| 2017 | 610 | #515 |
| 2016 | 626 | #499 |
| 2015 | 624 | #507 |
| 2014 | 731 | #439 |
| 2013 | 834 | #374 |
| 2012 | 860 | #363 |
| 2011 | 938 | #339 |
| 2010 | 1,113 | #292 |
| 2009 | 1,391 | #238 |
| 2008 | 1,338 | #257 |
| 2007 | 1,171 | #288 |
| 2006 | 1,192 | #282 |
| 2005 | 1,230 | #267 |
| 2004 | 1,285 | #249 |
| 2003 | 1,356 | #239 |
| 2002 | 1,403 | #223 |
| 2001 | 1,476 | #216 |
| 2000 | 1,649 | #192 |
| 1999 | 1,688 | #183 |
| 1998 | 1,711 | #176 |
| 1997 | 1,907 | #161 |
| 1996 | 1,909 | #165 |
| 1995 | 2,148 | #152 |
| 1994 | 2,376 | #134 |
| 1993 | 2,527 | #131 |
| 1992 | 2,931 | #114 |
| 1991 | 3,281 | #106 |
| 1990 | 3,036 | #110 |
| 1989 | 3,121 | #101 |
| 1988 | 3,039 | #95 |
| 1987 | 2,699 | #104 |
| 1986 | 2,722 | #102 |
| 1985 | 2,811 | #98 |
| 1984 | 2,855 | #95 |
| 1983 | 2,714 | #101 |
| 1982 | 2,661 | #113 |
| 1981 | 2,439 | #121 |
| 1980 | 2,445 | #127 |
| 1979 | 2,300 | #125 |
| 1978 | 2,290 | #127 |
| 1977 | 2,415 | #120 |
| 1976 | 2,037 | #138 |
| 1975 | 2,358 | #118 |
| 1974 | 2,304 | #125 |
| 1973 | 1,630 | #167 |
| 1972 | 1,454 | #196 |
| 1971 | 1,469 | #204 |
| 1970 | 1,503 | #209 |
| 1969 | 1,354 | #222 |
| 1968 | 908 | #290 |
| 1967 | 949 | #275 |
| 1966 | 580 | #380 |
| 1965 | 798 | #319 |
| 1964 | 663 | #366 |
| 1963 | 817 | #329 |
| 1962 | 516 | #429 |
| 1961 | 319 | #553 |
| 1960 | 135 | #909 |
| 1959 | 111 | #1,000 |
| 1958 | 122 | #932 |
| 1957 | 92 | #1,089 |
| 1956 | 116 | #934 |
| 1955 | 83 | #1,098 |
| 1954 | 53 | #1,376 |
| 1953 | 54 | #1,317 |
| 1952 | 40 | #1,522 |
| 1951 | 40 | #1,480 |
| 1950 | 32 | #1,652 |
| 1949 | 22 | #2,068 |
| 1948 | 26 | #1,857 |
| 1947 | 39 | #1,509 |
| 1946 | 25 | #1,807 |
| 1945 | 19 | #1,940 |
| 1944 | 20 | #1,915 |
| 1943 | 17 | #2,150 |
| 1942 | 24 | #1,705 |
| 1941 | 17 | #2,018 |
| 1940 | 12 | #2,423 |
| 1939 | 13 | #2,300 |
| 1938 | 13 | #2,340 |
| 1937 | 15 | #2,101 |
| 1936 | 7 | #3,374 |
| 1935 | 8 | #3,154 |
| 1934 | 6 | #3,800 |
| 1933 | 8 | #3,108 |
| 1932 | 6 | #3,899 |
| 1931 | 5 | #4,329 |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 0 | – |
| 1919 | 7 | #3,815 |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 0 | – |
| 1915 | 0 | – |
| 1914 | 0 | – |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 0 | – |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 0 | – |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 0 | – |
| 1897 | 0 | – |
| 1896 | 5 | #1,582 |
Names like Kara
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Keira Kiara Jessica Erin Kayla Cara Francesca Jasmine Lara Holly Molly Amber
Other spellings of Kara
Names related to Kara
Kaira Kayra Kiyara Khaira Kyara Kiarah Khiara Kari Kiarra Kaari
More Italian names
Aria Sienna Enzo Bella Gemma Ariyah Milani Ariya Armani Bianca Siena Ariah Capri Emiliana Jemma Alfredo
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kara: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kara, updated 20 October 2026.