UK name, mostly girls
Ara
An ancient Armenian name meaning "prayer" or "supplication".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Also recorded as a boys' name in the UK, with 85 boys.
Ara is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Ara popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3318, with 7 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 11 births.
This profile covers 97 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 2003 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 64% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 115 living people in the UK are called Ara. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ara ranked #3318 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 7 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2019, when 11 girls were registered as Ara.
- • Ara ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #397 in 2020.
- • Ara is also recorded for boys, but the girls side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 115 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ara as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 53.3% of Ara registrations are for girls.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3318
2024
Births in 2024
7
Latest year
Peak year
2019
11 births
Estimated living
115
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Ara
In England and Wales birth records, Ara has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 46.7% of registrations are for boys and 53.3% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Ara registered for boys
- Ranked #3,688 in 2024
- 5 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (9 births)
Ara registered for girls
- Ranked #3,318 in 2024
- 7 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (11 births)
Meaning
What does Ara mean?
The name Ara has its origins in several ancient cultures and languages, with varying meanings and historical significance.
The Armenian name Ara is derived from the word "ar" meaning "fire" or "sun". It was a popular name among the ancient Armenians and can be traced back to the 5th century BC. In Armenian mythology, Ara was also the name of a legendary hero and king.
In Sanskrit, the name Ara means "spoke of a wheel" or "ray of light". It has been used in various Hindu texts and scriptures, often referring to the sun's rays or the spokes of a chariot wheel.
In Arabic, the name Ara can be a shortened form of the name Aras, which means "lion" or "brave". This name has been used by several historical figures, including Aras ibn Malik, a 7th-century Arab general and governor of Khurasan.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Ara comes from the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, who wrote a lost tragedy called "Ara" in the 5th century BC.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Ara:
1. Ara the Handsome (7th century BC), an Armenian prince and the founder of the Arshakuni dynasty. 2. Ara the Beautiful (4th century BC), an Armenian king who ruled the Kingdom of Armenia from 370 BC to 326 BC. 3. Ara Pazhduni (5th century AD), an Armenian military commander and prince who fought against the Persian Empire. 4. Ara Gevorgyan (1873-1919), an Armenian writer, poet, and translator known for his contributions to Armenian literature. 5. Ara Guler (1928-2018), a renowned Turkish-Armenian photographer and photojournalist, often referred to as the "Eye of Istanbul".
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Ara throughout history, each with their own cultural and historical significance.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ara over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Ara in England and Wales, from 2003 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ara, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 7 births in 2024, compared with 11 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ara by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ara was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2969 | 40 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3575 | 54 | 8 |
| 2000s | #4373 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Ara is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ara. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Ara ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #397 in 2020.
Across the UK
Ara in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#792 in 2021
5 years of NRS records, 16 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#397 in 2020
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ara
-
Ara Darzi
university teacher; writer; surgeon
British surgeon
1960-
Related
Names similar to Ara
- Amelia 94,830
- Ava 54,556
- Amy 52,495
- Alice 46,815
- Abigail 45,658
- Amber 31,922
- Anna 27,802
- Alexandra 19,455
- Amelie 18,051
- Abbie 15,971
- Aimee 15,158
- Annabelle 15,120
FAQ
Ara: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ara in the UK right now?
In 2024, Ara was ranked #3318 for girls in England and Wales, with 7 births registered.
When was Ara most popular?
The peak year on record was 2019, with 11 babies registered as Ara in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ara?
An ancient Armenian name meaning "prayer" or "supplication".
How many people are called Ara in the UK?
A total of 97 babies have been registered as Ara across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 16 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Ara most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Ara ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #397 in 2020. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.