Total births
175,812
Girls' name · since 1939
Tara
175,812 babies named Tara in U.S. Social Security records since 1939, with the highest year being 1972. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1018
- among girls today
- 175,812
- born since 1939
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Tara currently ranks #1018 among girls' names in America, with 175,812 babies recorded since 1939.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Tara has been recorded 175,812 times among girls since 1939, currently ranked #1018 nationally and more common than 94% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1939 to 2025.
- #1018 among girls today
- 175,812 born since 1939
- 1970s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Tara is currently the #1018 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 175,812 born since 1939, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1018
- among girls today
- 175,812
- born since 1939
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Tara vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1018
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
37% of everyone ever named Tara was born in this single decade.
1972
Single peak year
7,234 babies were named Tara in 1972 - its busiest year on record.
How Tara compares
175,812 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Tara's all-time total is 460x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tara | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 175,812 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 7,234 | 48 | 19,840 |
Tara's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Tara splits its recorded history at 1982: 45% of all births land in the more recent half, 55% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1939 (7 births) -- compare that against the 1972 peak of 7,234 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Tara at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1972
Current rank
#1,018
Active since
1939
Tara popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1939–2025
- Peak year (1972)
- 7,234
- Annual births at peak, across 87 years of records
Tara popularity over time - boys
543 total births recorded since 1962 (Tara as boys' name)
Tara by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Tara's strongest decade.
65,072 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Tara births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 7
1930s
7 births
- 1940s 392
1940s
392 births
- 1950s 3,175
1950s
3,175 births
- 1960s 14,543
1960s
14,543 births
- 1970s
1970s
65,072 births
- 1980s
1980s
56,338 births
- 1990s 23,370
1990s
23,370 births
- 2000s 8,572
2000s
8,572 births
- 2010s 2,911
2010s
2,911 births
- 2020s 1,432
2020s
1,432 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 65,072 births (37% of all-time use).
How Tara 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 Tara's total volume
Tara vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Tara by state
Where Tara concentrates geographically, total births since 1939
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 16,906 | 9.6% |
| #2 | California | | 13,418 | 7.6% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 11,385 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 8,918 | 5.1% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 8,458 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Texas | | 8,348 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 7,368 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Florida | | 6,749 | 3.8% |
New York share of Tara's total US births 9.6%
Even split
16,906 of 175,812 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Tara appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tara? ▼
175,812 babies have been named Tara since 1939. It currently ranks #1018 among girls. The peak year was 1972 with 7,234 births.
When was Tara most popular? ▼
Tara was most popular in the 1970s decade with 65,072 total births. The single peak year was 1972.
Where is Tara most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Tara are New York (16,906 births), California (13,418 births), Pennsylvania (11,385 births).
How long has the name Tara been used? ▼
Tara has been recorded in Social Security data since 1939, spanning 87 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Tara? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Taryn, Tarah, Taraji, Tarsha, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Tara's data
- Tara's decade-level peak was the 1970s (65,072 total births); usage has since declined to 1,432 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Taras (16,906 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 Tara
Nearby Names Like Tara
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tara
Taryn Girl
#2517 25,698 births
Tarah Girl
#10434 4,737 births
Taraji Girl
#4277 2,764 births
Tarsha Girl
2,375 births
Tarra Girl
2,295 births
Compare Tara side by side: Tara vs Taryn Tara vs Tarah Tara vs Taraji
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tara
Brylee #1017
11,164 births · Peak 2011
Maylee #1019
4,596 births · Peak 2016
Baylee #1016
21,741 births · Peak 1997
Kinslee #1020
5,342 births · Peak 2017
Kenia #1015
10,216 births · Peak 2016
Aubriella #1021
4,266 births · Peak 2018
Nori #1014
3,028 births · Peak 2023
Vida #1022
12,435 births · Peak 2022
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, 1939–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Tara: #1018 Girls' Name - 175,812 Births, Peak 1972." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tara. 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 Tara 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.