The first name Tara
A girl’s name from Irish meaning “high place”.
Pronounced /ˈtɑːɹə/ 2 syllables Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Irish origin
Tara means “high place” in Irish.
Borrowed from Irish Teamhrach, genitive of Teamhair, from Old Irish Temair (literally “high place”). The female given name is derived from the name of the plantation in Gone with the Wind, named for the place in Ireland.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 90 girls were named Tara, making it the 444th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1998, with 466 births (#110).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Tara with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Tara at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 322 girls born in the United States were named Tara, the 847th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1972, when 7,234 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Tara in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Tara in Polish too.
Famous people named Tara
39 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Tara ReidAmerican actress (born 1975)
- Tara StrongCanadian-American actress (born 1973)
- Tara LipinskiAmerican figure skater (born 1982)
- Tara WestoverAmerican historian and author, born 1986
- Tara Davis-WoodhallAmerican track and field athlete, born 1999
- Tara FitzgeraldEnglish actress (born 1967)
- Tara SharmaBritish film actress, born 1977
- Tara Lynne BarrAmerican actress, born 1993
- Tara WhittenCanadian track racing cyclist, born 1980
- Tara BuckmanAmerican actress, born 1956
- Tara ConnerAmerican model and winner of Miss USA 2006 (born 1985)
- Tara BuckAmerican actress, born 1975
More Irish girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Tara mean?
- Tara means “high place” in Irish.
- What is the origin of the name Tara?
- Borrowed from Irish Teamhrach, genitive of Teamhair, from Old Irish Temair (literally “high place”). The female given name is derived from the name of the plantation in Gone with the Wind, named for the place in Ireland.
- How popular is the name Tara?
- In 2025, 90 girls born in England and Wales were named Tara, ranking 444th. Its peak was 1998, with 466 births.
- Is Tara a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 176,355 US babies named Tara since 1880 were girls.
- When was Tara most popular?
- 1972 in the United States, when 7,234 babies were named Tara, its highest rank at 38th.
- How do you pronounce Tara?
- Tara is /ˈtɑːɹə/, 2 syllables.
- Is Tara also a surname?
- Yes. Tara is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.