# Ira (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/ira/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys and girls |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “watchful” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈaɪɹə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 62,535 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 55,410 / 7,125 (11% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 584, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From a Hebrew name עִירָא ('ira), from a word meaning "watchful".

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 46 | 3,471 |
| 2012 | 60 | 2,880 |
| 2013 | 78 | 2,353 |
| 2014 | 104 | 1,930 |
| 2015 | 97 | 2,031 |
| 2016 | 125 | 1,708 |
| 2017 | 128 | 1,679 |
| 2018 | 147 | 1,491 |
| 2019 | 157 | 1,426 |
| 2020 | 152 | 1,435 |
| 2021 | 168 | 1,331 |
| 2022 | 196 | 1,231 |
| 2023 | 161 | 1,399 |
| 2024 | 154 | 1,438 |
| 2025 | 222 | 1,086 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 110 | 1,478 |
| 2012 | 150 | 1,197 |
| 2013 | 156 | 1,156 |
| 2014 | 160 | 1,170 |
| 2015 | 199 | 1,021 |
| 2016 | 218 | 952 |
| 2017 | 214 | 968 |
| 2018 | 216 | 961 |
| 2019 | 252 | 873 |
| 2020 | 289 | 803 |
| 2021 | 301 | 810 |
| 2022 | 288 | 846 |
| 2023 | 266 | 880 |
| 2024 | 233 | 972 |
| 2025 | 301 | 822 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 8 | 2,893 |
| 2012 | 12 | 2,215 |
| 2013 | 10 | 2,460 |
| 2014 | 23 | 1,367 |
| 2015 | 12 | 2,195 |
| 2016 | 7 | 3,214 |
| 2017 | 13 | 2,090 |
| 2018 | 13 | 2,090 |
| 2019 | 10 | 2,458 |
| 2020 | 19 | 1,556 |
| 2021 | 27 | 1,224 |
| 2022 | 21 | 1,452 |
| 2023 | 27 | 1,206 |
| 2024 | 32 | 1,065 |
| 2025 | 39 | 894 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3 | 4,647 |
| 2012 | 6 | 3,039 |
| 2013 | 12 | 1,796 |
| 2014 | 11 | 1,935 |
| 2015 | 6 | 3,004 |
| 2016 | 17 | 1,498 |
| 2017 | 22 | 1,210 |
| 2018 | 16 | 1,533 |
| 2019 | 20 | 1,253 |
| 2020 | 23 | 1,150 |
| 2021 | 23 | 1,184 |
| 2022 | 25 | 1,104 |
| 2023 | 21 | 1,272 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2,263 |
| 2025 | 18 | 1,466 |

## People named Ira

- Ira Levin, American novelist, playwright (1929–2007)
- Bert Ira Gordon, American filmmaker (1922–2023)
- Ira S. Bowen, American physicist and astronomer (1898–1973)
- Ira Remsen, American chemist (1846–1927)
- Ira Sachs, American filmmaker (born 1965)
- Ira Murchison, American athletic competitor (1933–1994)
- Ira Aldridge, American-British stage actor (1807-1867)
- Ira D. Sankey, American gospel singer and composer (1840-1908)
- Ira Davenport, American track athlete, baseball player, American football player and coach (1887–1941)
- Ira Newborn, American musician, actor, orchestrator and composer
- Ira Glass, American radio personality
- Ira Gitler, American sports journalist and music critic (1928-2019)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.