Given name & surname
Bora
“foreign woman”·“a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger”·“from a foreign land”
Bora is a variant of Barbara. Interpretations include “foreign woman” and “a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger” (Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions. Bora is a variant of Borbala. One Hungarian interpretation is “from a foreign land.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Bora is a variant of Barbara. Interpretations include “foreign woman” and “a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger” (Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions. Bora is a variant of Borbala. One Hungarian interpretation is “from a foreign land.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Bora is a variant of Barbara. An origin associated with Barbara is Latin. Bora is a variant of Borbala. An origin associated with Borbala is Hungarian.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Czech use, Bora is used as a shortened form of Barbora.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1981. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bora through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 636
- 422 boys · 214 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 34 babies
- 2025
- 29
- #5,891 for boys · #7,555 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +1%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 15 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,891 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 23 in 2005. It also appeared in 14 birth records for girls in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,258 as a first name in 2020; 935 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bora’s family of names
Bora is an affectionate form of Barbara. In English usage, Bora as a surname developed from Boris. Bora has a related form in Borbala.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Bora has relatives in 4 languages.
7 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Bora
- Bora ĐorđevićSerbian singer (1952–2024)
- Bora ĆosićSerbian writer (born 1932)
- Bora DugićSerbian musicianborn 1949
- Bora VangTurkish table tennis playerborn 1987
- Bora DağtekinGerman screenwriter and film directorborn 1978
- Bora KörkTurkish association football player (born 1980)
- Bora ÖztürkTurkish association football player (1955–1997)
- Bora Laskin14th Chief Justice of Canada (1912–1984)
- Bora ŽivkovićDanish footballerborn 1974
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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