Given name & surname
Yara
“one who is desired”
Yara is a variant of Yaura. One American interpretation is “one who is desired.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Yara is a variant of Yaura. One American interpretation is “one who is desired.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Yara is a variant of Yaura. An origin associated with Yaura is American.
Explained through its name family
The story
In mythological stories, Yara is associated with the goddess of the river.
Yara through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7,565
- 31 boys · 7,534 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 592 babies
- 2025
- 592
- #507 for girls · #10,639 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +53%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 585 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 507 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 52.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 7 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (88). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,970 as a first name in 2020; 408 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.
Yara’s family of names
Yara has a related form in Yarah. Yara has a related form in Yarra. Yara has a related form in Yarrah.
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 Yara
- Yara ShahidiAmerican actressborn 2000
- Yara van KerkhofDutch short track speed skaterborn 1990
- Yara SallamEgyptian activistborn 1985
- Yara MartinezAmerican actressborn 1979
- Yara KastelijnDutch cyclistborn 1997
- Yara YavelbergBrazilian psychologist1944–1971
- Yara GoubranEgyptian actressborn 1982
- Yara ten HolteDutch handballerborn 1999
- Yara BernetteBrazilian pianist and music teacher of American origin1920–2002
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Yara, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Zariah
Zariah is a feminine given name.
1% boys · 99% girls
Alaia
“one who is majestic, of high worth” · “joy”
>99% girls
Radha
Radha carries several Sanskrit naming contexts, including the central figure of a major devotional poem.
>99% girls
Lumi
“snow”
5% boys · 95% girls
Hestia
>99% girls
Tayra
“hill”
>99% girls
Ixchell
>99% girls
Adhara
>99% girls