Total births
4,737
Girls' name · since 1963
Tarah
4,737 babies named Tarah in U.S. Social Security records since 1963, with the highest year being 1985. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #10434
- among girls today
- 4,737
- born since 1963
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 41%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Tarah is the #10434 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 4,737 recorded since 1963.
Social Security Administration records show Tarah recorded 4,737 times among girls since 1963, holding rank #10434 nationally today, ahead of 41% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1963 to 2025.
- #10434 among girls today
- 4,737 born since 1963
- 1980s peak decade
- 41% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Tarah is currently the #10434 girls' name in America, more common than 41% of girls - 4,737 born since 1963, peaking in the 1980s.
- #10434
- among girls today
- 4,737
- born since 1963
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 41%
- more common than other girls
Tarah vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#10434
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 41% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
46% of everyone ever named Tarah was born in this single decade.
1985
Single peak year
267 babies were named Tarah in 1985 - its busiest year on record.
How Tarah compares
4,737 Top 14% higher than 86% 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
Tarah's all-time total is 12x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Tarah | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,737 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 267 | 48 | 19,840 |
Tarah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Tarah splits its recorded history at 1995: 24% of all births land in the more recent half, 76% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1963 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1985 peak of 267 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Tarah at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1985
Current rank
#10,434
Active since
1963
Tarah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1963–2025
- Peak year (1985)
- 267
- Annual births at peak, across 63 years of records
Tarah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Tarah's strongest decade.
2,182 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Tarah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 37
1960s
37 births
- 1970s 687
1970s
687 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,182 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,177 births
- 2000s 430
2000s
430 births
- 2010s 178
2010s
178 births
- 2020s 46
2020s
46 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 2,182 births (46% of all-time use).
How Tarah 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 Tarah's total volume
Tarah vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Tarah by state
Where Tarah concentrates geographically, total births since 1963
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 473 | 10.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 311 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Florida | | 202 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 200 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 194 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 160 | 3.4% |
| #7 | New York | | 153 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 149 | 3.1% |
California share of Tarah's total US births 10.0%
Even split
473 of 4,737 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 28 reporting states.
Tarah appears in 28 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Tarah? ▼
Tarah has been given to 4,737 babies in the U.S. since 1963, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #10434 as of the latest data. 267 babies were born in 1985, its single highest year.
When was Tarah most popular? ▼
Tarah was most popular in the 1980s decade with 2,182 total births. The single peak year was 1985.
Where is Tarah most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Tarah are California (473 births), Texas (311 births), Florida (202 births).
How long has the name Tarah been used? ▼
Records for Tarah go back to 1963, giving 63 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Tarah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Tara, Taryn, Taraji, Tarsha, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Tarah's data
- Tarah's decade-level peak was the 1980s (2,182 total births); usage has since declined to 46 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Tarahs (473 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Tarah
Nearby Names Like Tarah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Tarah
Tara Girl
#1018 175,812 births
Taryn Girl
#2517 25,698 births
Taraji Girl
#4277 2,764 births
Tarsha Girl
2,375 births
Tarra Girl
2,295 births
Compare Tarah side by side: Tarah vs Tara Tarah vs Taryn Tarah vs Taraji
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Tarah
Katja #10433
949 births · Peak 1998
Xochilt #10435
1,457 births · Peak 2005
Thania #10432
1,426 births · Peak 1993
Melaina #10436
1,197 births · Peak 2004
Khristina #10431
1,275 births · Peak 1979
Taira #10437
1,022 births · Peak 1990
Bellina #10430
116 births · Peak 2011
Ivett #10438
702 births · Peak 2001
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, 1963–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Tarah: #10434 Girls' Name - 4,737 Births, Peak 1985." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/tarah. 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 Tarah 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.