Fun Facts About the Name Alara
- More than 2 thousand babies named Alara: U.S. records list 2,183 babies given the name Alara from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Alara Mean?
Alara is a feminine given name used chiefly in Turkish, and its meaning is not securely established. No accepted Turkish etymology ties it to a particular word. Explanations offered in modern name books, such as "red moon" or a water spirit, do not fit the usual patterns of Turkish word formation and are better treated as folk or commercial glosses than as a documented derivation. The name is identical in form to the Alara River and the ruined Alara Castle in Antalya Province, Turkey, but whether the personal name was taken from that place name is not documented.
Alara Name History & Origins
Alara is used today mainly in Turkey as a girl's name. It matches the name of the Alara River and the Alara Castle on the coast road between Alanya and Side in Antalya Province. That fortress is older than the Turkish period in the region; it came under the control of the Seljuk sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I in the early 13th century, who had it repaired, and a Seljuk caravanserai, the Alara Han, was built nearby on the same road in the same period. Because the place name is older than any personal use, it is sometimes assumed that the given name was borrowed from the place, but no document shows that step.
Recorded Turkish use of Alara as a personal name appears to be modern, and Turkish name dictionaries list it without an older Turkish form. Older use may simply not have been collected, so the point is uncertain.
The same spelling appears in Yoruba as a traditional ruler's title, as in the Alara of Ilara. That title is a separate word and has no connection with the Turkish name; the resemblance is only in appearance.
In recent English-language popular culture, Alara is the name of a plane in the card game Magic: The Gathering and of the character Alara Kitan in the television series The Orville. These are modern fictional uses and say nothing about where the name came from.
How Popular is the Name Alara?
Alara recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #652 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #652 | 441 | 0.0274% |
| 2024 | #1,059 | 234 | 0.0145% |
| 2023 | #1,292 | 177 | 0.0110% |
| 2022 | #1,506 | 144 | 0.0088% |
| 2021 | #1,729 | 119 | 0.0073% |
| 2020 | #1,944 | 98 | 0.0061% |
| 2019 | #1,568 | 136 | 0.0081% |
| 2018 | #1,996 | 98 | 0.0058% |
| 2017 | #2,712 | 63 | 0.0037% |
| 2016 | #3,929 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2015 | #3,478 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2014 | #4,003 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2013 | #4,007 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2012 | #3,098 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 2011 | #3,354 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2010 | #3,311 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 2009 | #3,872 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2008 | #4,453 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2007 | #4,301 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2006 | #4,690 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2005 | #5,274 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2004 | #4,494 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2003 | #4,312 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2002 | #4,183 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2001 | #5,185 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2000 | #5,497 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1999 | #7,252 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #7,117 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1997 | #10,877 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #8,161 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1995 | #9,586 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #13,482 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #9,581 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #10,877 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Alara Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Alara's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Alara's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.