Given name
Inara
Inara is used as a given name. One Arabic interpretation is “a heaven-sent daughter; one who shines with light.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “a heaven-sent daughter; one who shines with light.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1998. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Inara through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,579
- 0 boys · 2,579 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 237 babies
- 2025
- 237
- #1,049 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +48%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 237 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,049 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 47.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (38). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,700 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inara’s family of names
Inara has a related form in Inarah. Inara has a related form in Inarra. Inara has a related form in Innara.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Inara
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Inara, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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