Cara

Did you know?

A few things about Cara you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Cara

Cara Black

Zimbabwean tennis player

Choose Cara and your child shares a first name with Cara Black, a Zimbabwean tennis player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Cara, like who?” Cara Black's Wikipedia article is available in 40 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Cara Black on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 9,569 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Cara, 168 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Cara would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCara first shows up in US birth records in 1882, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 143 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1985, when it ranked #184. Today it's #1,326, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowCara was 3.9× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,481 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 9,569.
• 🍂TrendCara has slipped 419 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,326. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedCara is most popular in New Jersey, where it ranks #718, followed by New York (#859) and Massachusetts (#873). It's in the top 1,000 in 3 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Italian, Cara means “dear, beloved”. Our records link it to Celtic, Irish and Italian roots.

About the name Cara

Cara is a girl name of Celtic, Irish and Italian origin meaning “dear, beloved”. It has 4 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-ara”. US birth records list Cara for girls from 1882 to 2025, in 143 of those 144 years. Its best year was 1985, when it ranked #184 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,326, with 168 babies.

Origin:Celtic namesIrish namesItalian namesLatin names