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Kara

“Variant of Cara — Dear, beloved (Italian) or friend (Irish)” — Italian/Irish, 20th-century English coinage origin

Girl's name · #1071 in the US (2025) · 80s

Kara has appeared in US records since 1896 — best rank #95 (1984) · 101,743 babies named Kara all-time · 1 in 7,100 girls born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 2,300 girls in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 3,600 girls in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 3,900 girls in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 31 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Karas

• Kara Walker — American painter and installation artist (born 1969)
• Kara DioGuardi — American music producer, composer and pop singer
• Kara Hayward — American actress
• Kara Goucher — American long-distance runner
• Kara Monaco — American model

In stories & tradition

• Kara (Power Girl) — Injustice 2 · All Star Comics
• Kara Zor-El — Superman/Batman: Apocalypse · Smallville
• Kara Thrace — Battlestar Galactica

What Karas become

Among 294 notable people named Kara:

Athletes appear 1.6× more often than among typical names — e.g. Kara Goucher, American long-distance runner.

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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