Fun Facts About the Name Zarah
- More than 2 thousand babies named Zarah: U.S. records list 2,955 babies given the name Zarah from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zarah Mean?
Zarah is an English spelling of a biblical Hebrew name. Its source is the Hebrew name זֶרַח (Zeraḥ), formed from a root meaning "to rise" or "to shine." The name is therefore usually understood as "rising (light)" or "dawn," and it is also glossed "brightness."
The literal sense is the rising of the sun or the first light of day. Hebrew Zeraḥ ends in the letter ḥet (ח), a consonant Greek did not carry over at the end of a word, which is why the Greek form of the name is Ζαρά (Zara) rather than Zerah.
In modern English use, Zarah is mainly a girl's name and a less common spelling of Zara. Zara has been explained in more than one way - sometimes as a form of Sarah, the Hebrew name meaning "princess," and sometimes as connected with the Arabic Zahra (زهرة), "blossom" or "flower." Those explanations belong to Zara and Sarah and are separate from the Hebrew Zeraḥ.
Zarah Name History & Origins
The name comes from the Hebrew Bible. In Genesis 38, Tamar bears twins to Judah; the second twin, born after Perez, is named זֶרַח (Zeraḥ). English Bibles have used both Zerah and Zarah for this figure, with the King James Version spelling it Zarah in Genesis. The same ancestor appears in the genealogy that opens the Gospel of Matthew, where the Greek text reads Ζαρά (Zara) - the form behind the spelling Zara in English New Testaments. The two spellings thus rest on different source languages.
Other figures in the Hebrew Bible carry the name, including Zerah the Cushite, whose forces are defeated by King Asa of Judah in 2 Chronicles 14, an Edomite chief in Genesis 36, and a Levite in 1 Chronicles 6. In the Hebrew text the name is masculine; its use as a feminine English given name is a modern development.
Today Zarah is used chiefly as a girl's name, usually alongside the more common Zara. The spelling with a final -h appears in the stage name of the Swedish-born actress and singer Zarah Leander (1907 - 1981), born Sara Stina Hedberg, who became a leading star of German-language films in the 1930s and 1940s.
How Popular is the Name Zarah?
Zarah has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2022. Its best rank was #1,223 in 2022.
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 | #1,435 | 151 | 0.0094% |
| 2024 | #1,391 | 162 | 0.0100% |
| 2023 | #1,424 | 157 | 0.0098% |
| 2022 | #1,223 | 198 | 0.0121% |
| 2021 | #1,333 | 168 | 0.0102% |
| 2020 | #1,515 | 141 | 0.0087% |
| 2019 | #1,539 | 141 | 0.0084% |
| 2018 | #1,773 | 116 | 0.0068% |
| 2017 | #1,512 | 147 | 0.0085% |
| 2016 | #1,756 | 119 | 0.0067% |
| 2015 | #1,730 | 122 | 0.0068% |
| 2014 | #2,111 | 92 | 0.0052% |
| 2013 | #2,304 | 81 | 0.0046% |
| 2012 | #1,982 | 99 | 0.0056% |
| 2011 | #2,042 | 96 | 0.0055% |
| 2010 | #2,117 | 94 | 0.0053% |
| 2009 | #2,424 | 80 | 0.0044% |
| 2008 | #2,583 | 73 | 0.0039% |
| 2007 | #2,991 | 60 | 0.0031% |
| 2006 | #2,630 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 2005 | #3,726 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2004 | #4,490 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2003 | #3,346 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 2002 | #3,887 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2001 | #3,485 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 2000 | #3,737 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 1999 | #3,506 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1998 | #5,581 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1997 | #5,413 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #4,881 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1995 | #5,438 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1994 | #4,843 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1993 | #4,522 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1992 | #6,006 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1991 | #6,584 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1990 | #5,548 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1989 | #6,158 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1988 | #5,321 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1987 | #7,352 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #5,458 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1985 | #5,346 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #8,150 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #10,272 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #5,906 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1981 | #5,884 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #6,318 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #6,187 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1978 | #7,646 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #5,886 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #9,643 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #8,700 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #8,195 | 5 | 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 Zarah Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have aspiration and inspiration, hope and guidance. Since you are intuitive and perceptive and you understand human nature. You have the power to achieve. Diplomacy and discretion make you a good mediator. You are inspired, introspective, and have a good understanding of the human heart. You can have the ability to commercialize your artistic talents successfully. You are often a mystery to others and to yourself. You are always reaching for something higher, without exactly knowing what that "higher" is. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
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.
✦ Zarah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zarah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.