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Cara

Meaning: Dear, beloved
Origin: Italian — 20th-century English coinage

Meaning: Friend
Origin: Irish

Girl's name · #1326 in the US (2025) · 80s wave

Popularity over time

Cara reached #184 in 1985 and has faded to #1326 since. About 53,000 girls have carried it since 1882.

Across the states

See where Cara is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 20 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Cara ranks in other countries and regions.

#25 in N. Ireland (2025) · #52 in Ireland (2025) · #213 in Scotland (2025) · #412 in New Zealand (2025) · #468 in England & Wales (2025) · #884 in Austria (2025) · #1,042 in Switzerland (2025) · #2,498 in France (2025) · #1,244 in Canada (2024).

Famous Caras

Cara Delevingne — English model and actor (born 1992)
Cara Black — Zimbabwean tennis player
Cara Buono — American actress, screenwriter, and director
Cara Williams — American actress (1925–2021)
Cara Gee — Canadian actress (born 1983)

In stories & tradition

Cara Dune — The Mandalorian (TV series)
Cara Castillo — All My Children (TV series)
Cara^it — The Sword of Truth (novel series)

What Caras become

Among 249 notable people named Cara:

Entertainers appear 2.07× more often than among typical names — e.g. Cara Delevingne, English model and actor (born 1992).

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variant Kara (#1075), Cara would rank around #711 with about 390 births last year — the newborns split about 57/43 between Kara and Cara.

Similar names: Kara · Adrienne · Kari · Dara · Jillian · Casey

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

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