Fun Facts About the Name Yara
- More than 7 thousand babies named Yara: U.S. records list 7,561 babies given the name Yara from 1880 through 2025. Even 31 boys received the name Yara - about 1 boy for every 243 girls.
What Does the Name Yara Mean?
Yara is a feminine name with more than one independent origin, so it carries more than one established meaning. In Persian, Yara (یارا) is built on the word yār (یار), meaning "friend," "helper," or "beloved." In the Tupi-Guarani languages of Brazil, Yara - usually written Iara or Uiara - is explained as "lady of the water," from y ("water") and ara ("lady"). In Arabic, Yara (يارا) is a feminine name used especially in the Levant, but its derivation is not settled; it is often glossed as "small butterfly," though that reading may be a later interpretation rather than a documented etymology.
Yara Name History & Origins
The Persian word yār has a long life as a term for a friend or a beloved and appears throughout classical Persian poetry, including the verse of Rumi and Hafez. The name Yara is formed from this root and is used in Iran and among Persian speakers elsewhere.
In the Arab world, Yara (يارا) is a relatively modern given name, found mainly in the Levant - Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine - and among Arabic-speaking families abroad. How it entered Arabic is not firmly documented; it may have come through contact with Persian, or it may be a newer formation in Arabic itself.
The Brazilian form of the name comes out of Tupi-Guarani tradition. Iara, also spelled Yara or Uiara, is a water spirit of the Amazon in the folklore of the region's indigenous peoples, commonly described as a mermaid-like figure who draws people to the river. The legend was taken up in nineteenth-century Brazilian Romantic writing, and authors such as José de Alencar drew on Tupi-Guarani themes, helping to spread the story and the spellings Iara and Yara in print. Yara is now used as a given name in Brazil alongside the older Iara.
How Popular is the Name Yara?
Yara recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #507 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 | #507 | 585 | 0.0364% |
| 2024 | #578 | 519 | 0.0322% |
| 2023 | #613 | 486 | 0.0303% |
| 2022 | #572 | 525 | 0.0320% |
| 2021 | #657 | 453 | 0.0276% |
| 2020 | #654 | 441 | 0.0273% |
| 2019 | #766 | 365 | 0.0218% |
| 2018 | #672 | 437 | 0.0257% |
| 2017 | #987 | 264 | 0.0153% |
| 2016 | #1,336 | 178 | 0.0100% |
| 2015 | #1,237 | 199 | 0.0112% |
| 2014 | #1,463 | 154 | 0.0086% |
| 2013 | #1,164 | 207 | 0.0118% |
| 2012 | #1,187 | 208 | 0.0118% |
| 2011 | #1,163 | 211 | 0.0120% |
| 2010 | #1,273 | 188 | 0.0106% |
| 2009 | #1,313 | 185 | 0.0101% |
| 2008 | #1,430 | 166 | 0.0088% |
| 2007 | #1,035 | 256 | 0.0133% |
| 2006 | #1,700 | 124 | 0.0065% |
| 2005 | #2,138 | 87 | 0.0047% |
| 2004 | #1,908 | 99 | 0.0054% |
| 2003 | #2,228 | 78 | 0.0043% |
| 2002 | #2,063 | 84 | 0.0047% |
| 2001 | #2,094 | 80 | 0.0044% |
| 2000 | #2,054 | 81 | 0.0045% |
| 1999 | #2,566 | 56 | 0.0032% |
| 1998 | #2,457 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 1997 | #2,228 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 1996 | #3,235 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1995 | #2,686 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 1994 | #2,875 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 1993 | #3,418 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1992 | #3,340 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1991 | #3,096 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 1990 | #2,956 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 1989 | #3,782 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1988 | #4,493 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1987 | #3,981 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1986 | #4,025 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1985 | #2,748 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1984 | #4,316 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1983 | #3,339 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1982 | #2,580 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 1981 | #2,488 | 39 | 0.0023% |
| 1980 | #1,963 | 55 | 0.0033% |
| 1979 | #3,075 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1978 | #4,677 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #5,528 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1976 | #4,610 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1975 | #4,138 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1974 | #5,771 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #4,863 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #5,951 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1971 | #8,308 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #7,468 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,639 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #12,245 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #14,106 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #12,264 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #10,713 | 7 | 0.0004% |
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 Yara Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual. You hate bondage in any form. You have love of beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You are willing to take spiritual matters on faith instead of subjecting them to mental analysis. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Yara's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yara's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.