UK girl's name
Inara
Of Arabic origin, meaning ray of light or heaven sent.
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.
Inara is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Inara popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #483, with 83 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 83 births.
This profile covers 715 England and Wales registrations across 22 recorded years from 2003 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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.
Inara is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 727 living people in the UK are called Inara. 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
- • Inara ranked #483 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 83 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 83 girls were registered as Inara.
- • Inara ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #540 in 2023.
- • About 727 living people in the UK are estimated to have Inara as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#483
2024
Births in 2024
83
Latest year
Peak year
2024
83 births
Estimated living
727
2026
Meaning
What does Inara mean?
The name Inara has its origins in Arabic and Sanskrit languages. It is derived from the Arabic word "Nur" which means "light" or "illumination." In Sanskrit, the word "Nar" means "fire" or "energy." The name Inara is a combination of these two roots, suggesting a meaning of "fiery light" or "radiant energy."
The earliest known use of the name Inara can be traced back to the 7th century AD in the Middle East and South Asia. It was a relatively uncommon name during that time period but gained popularity among Muslim and Hindu communities over the centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Inara is found in the ancient Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, written by Ferdowsi around 1010 AD. The poem mentions a character named Inara, who was a brave and skilled archer.
In the 12th century, there was a famous Islamic scholar and poet named Inara al-Andalusi, who was born in Seville, Spain, in 1165. She was renowned for her contributions to Arabic literature and her expertise in various fields, including grammar, poetry, and jurisprudence.
Another notable figure named Inara was Inara Begum, a 16th-century Mughal princess and the daughter of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. She was known for her beauty, intelligence, and patronage of the arts.
In the 19th century, Inara Dutt was a prominent Bengali writer, social reformer, and educator. She was born in 1826 and played a significant role in promoting women's education and advocating for social reforms in India.
Inara Barnett was a British artist and sculptor who lived from 1890 to 1985. She was known for her innovative use of materials and her contributions to the development of modern sculpture in the United Kingdom.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Inara throughout history, showcasing the name's rich cultural heritage and diverse backgrounds.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Inara over time
The chart below shows babies named Inara registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, 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 Inara, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 83 births in 2024, compared with 83 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Inara by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Inara 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 | #650 | 338 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1241 | 312 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2536 | 65 | 7 |
Geography
Where Inara is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Inara. 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.
Inara ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #540 in 2023.
Across the UK
Inara in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#540 in 2023
4 years of NRS records, 15 total registered
Related
Names similar to Inara
- Isabella 58,822
- Isla 51,854
- Isabelle 46,163
- Imogen 33,758
- Ivy 23,306
- Isabel 20,895
- Isobel 19,706
- Iris 10,353
- India 8,371
- Iqra 4,452
- Indie 3,873
- Iona 3,682
FAQ
Inara: questions and answers
How popular is the name Inara in the UK right now?
In 2024, Inara was ranked #483 for girls in England and Wales, with 83 births registered.
When was Inara most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 83 babies registered as Inara in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Inara?
Of Arabic origin, meaning ray of light or heaven sent.
How many people are called Inara in the UK?
A total of 715 babies have been registered as Inara across the 22 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 15 more in Scotland.
Where is Inara most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Inara ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #540 in 2023. 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.