Total births
13,692
Unisex name · since 1893
Dara
13,692 babies named Dara in U.S. Social Security records since 1893, with the highest year being 1981. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1035
- among girls today
- 13,692
- born since 1893
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Dara is the #1035 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 13,692 recorded since 1893.
Dara has 13,692 recorded births among girls since 1893, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1035 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1893 to 2025.
- #1035 among girls today
- 13,692 born since 1893
- 1980s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Dara is currently the #1035 unisex name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 13,692 born since 1893, peaking in the 1980s.
- #1035
- among girls today
- 13,692
- born since 1893
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Dara vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1035
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Dara was born in this single decade.
1981
Single peak year
453 babies were named Dara in 1981 - its busiest year on record.
How Dara compares
13,692 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Dara's all-time total is 36x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dara | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 13,692 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 453 | 48 | 19,840 |
Dara's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Dara's full recorded timeline at 1969, 79% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 21% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1893, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1981 peak of 453 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Dara at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1981
Current rank
#1,035
Active since
1893
Dara popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1893–2025
- Peak year (1981)
- 453
- Annual births at peak, across 133 years of records
Dara popularity over time - boys
855 total births recorded since 1955 (Dara as boys' name)
Dara by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Dara's strongest decade.
2,905 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Dara births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1900s 11
1900s
11 births
- 1910s 54
1910s
54 births
- 1920s 85
1920s
85 births
- 1930s 46
1930s
46 births
- 1940s 212
1940s
212 births
- 1950s 971
1950s
971 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,840 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,650 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,905 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,808 births
- 2000s 1,078
2000s
1,078 births
- 2010s 1,023
2010s
1,023 births
- 2020s 1,004
2020s
1,004 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 2,905 births (21% of all-time use).
How Dara compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Dara's total volume
Dara vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Dara by state
Where Dara concentrates geographically, total births since 1893
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,569 | 11.5% |
| #2 | California | | 1,319 | 9.6% |
| #3 | Texas | | 873 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 753 | 5.5% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 725 | 5.3% |
| #6 | Florida | | 622 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 381 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 342 | 2.5% |
New York share of Dara's total US births 11.5%
Even split
1,569 of 13,692 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Dara appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dara? ▼
Since 1893, Social Security records show 13,692 babies named Dara. Today it holds rank #1035 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1981, with 453 births.
When was Dara most popular? ▼
Dara was most popular in the 1980s decade with 2,905 total births. The single peak year was 1981.
Where is Dara most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dara are New York (1,569 births), California (1,319 births), Texas (873 births).
Is Dara a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Dara is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 13,692 births, and as a boy's name it has 855 births.
How long has the name Dara been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Dara since 1893 -- 133 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Dara? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Darlene, Darla, Darcy, Daria, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Dara's data
- Dara's usage has stayed within range of its 1980s decade-level peak (2,905 total births) through the 2020s (1,004) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Daras (1,569 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dara
Nearby Names Like Dara
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dara
Darlene Girl
#1779 204,942 births
Darla Girl
#1026 43,667 births
Darcy Girl
#978 23,418 births
Daria Girl
#1955 9,063 births
Darby Girl
#3139 8,338 births
Compare Dara side by side: Dara vs Darlene Dara vs Darla Dara vs Darcy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dara
Guadalupe #1034
66,916 births · Peak 1997
Simone #1036
27,531 births · Peak 1988
Layan #1033
3,225 births · Peak 2025
Julissa #1037
25,888 births · Peak 2006
Saoirse #1032
4,068 births · Peak 2020
Cadence #1038
22,430 births · Peak 2007
Kairi #1031
6,256 births · Peak 2019
Maizie #1039
3,050 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1893–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Dara: #1035 Unisex Name - 13,692 Births, Peak 1981." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/dara. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Dara draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.