Dara are several

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

s used for both men and women in different languages.

Etymology

Dara are several different

homonymous In linguistics, homonyms are words which are either; ''homographs''—words that mean different things, but have the same spelling (regardless of pronunciation), or ''homophones''—words that mean different things, but have the same pronunciatio ...

names with different

etymological Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

origins. *In

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

, Dara means "compassion" or "pearl of wisdom". *In

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

and

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, Dara means "gift", or "to give a gift", its meaning directly derives from ''dar'' "gift". *In

Ibibio Ibibio may refer to: *Ibibio language, Niger-Congo language of Nigeria *Ibibio people an ethnic group of southern Nigeria *Ibibio Sound Machine, an English electronic afro-funk band who sing in Ibibio See also * Ibiblio, a digital library and ar ...

, Dara is a derivative of "joy", and it means "rejoice". *In

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

, Dara is a feminine given name meaning "girl", "young woman", or "virgin". * Oluwadara is a Yoruba name given to a male or female child meaning od's Good'Oluwa' means *GOD* and 'Dara' means *Is Good*. *Dara is an

anglicisation Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

of the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

given name

Dáire Dáire is an Old Irish name which fell out of use at an early period, remaining restricted essentially to legendary and ancestral figures, usually male. It has come back into fashion since the 18th century. The anglicised form of this name is Dar ...

, which is likely derived from "oak wood". Despite traditionally being masculine, it is sometimes used as a unisex name. Alternative spellings include Daire or

Darragh Darragh, also spelled Daragh and Dara, is a name of Irish origin. The name is derived from the Old Irish word (Modern Irish ), which means "oak". Darragh is frequently used in Ireland as a masculine forename, though sometimes occurs as a surnam ...

. It also occurs as a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

, possibly a version of the surname . *In Javanese, Dara means "dove" or "pigeon". *Because of the tone mark in Yoruba, Dara is also a short form of Oluwashindara, which means "wonder (God still does wonder)". *In Gokana, "Dara" mean to "carry". *In Kazakh, Dara is a feminine given name meaning "special, one of a kind". *In Khmer, Thai, and Lao, Dara is a unisex name meaning "star". *In

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, and

Parsi The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

communities, () is a variant of the masculine given name

Darius Darius may refer to: Persian royalty ;Kings of the Achaemenid Empire * Darius I (the Great, 550 to 487 BC) * Darius II (423 to 404 BC) * Darius III (Codomannus, 380 to 330 BC) ;Crown princes * Darius (son of Xerxes I), crown prince of Persia, ma ...

. In contemporary Persian, it means "rich", "well-off" and "well-to-do". *In

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

, Dara means "leader". *In

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

, Dara means "the beautiful one". *The word "Odara" derives from the Brazilian indigenous Ioruba word ''dara'', meaning "gorgeous." *In

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, Dara is a masculine given name meaning "possessor" or "sovereign" and "halo (of the moon)". It can also mean "sovereign" or "lord", a meaning shared with the Sikh language. In Urdu, Dara is a short form of

. *In African-American culture, the name Dara is of Bermudian origin, also meaning "beautiful".

People

Dara Dara is a given name in several languages. Dara, Daraa, or DARA may also refer to: Geography Africa * Dar'a, region in northern Ethiopia * Dara (woreda), region in southern Ethiopia Asia * Dara (Mesopotamia), an archeological site in Mard ...

, (born Sandara Park, 1984), South Korean singer, actress and TV presenter, member of K-pop girl group 2NE1 *

Dara Alizadeh Dara Alizadeh (born 27 August 1993 in Brookline, Massachusetts) is a Bermudian and American rower who represents Bermuda. His father is Iranian, and his mother is British-born Bermudian. The couple then met while studying at Tufts University in ...

(born 1993), Bermudian and American rower who represents Bermuda *

Dara Bashir Dara Bashir Khan (born 1 May 1960, Karachi, Sindh) is a Pakistani former first-class cricketer. He played thirteen first-class cricket matches for several domestic sides in Pakistan between 1977 and 1984. He also represented Pakistan national un ...

(born 1960), Pakistani former first-class cricketer *

Dara Birnbaum Dara Nan Birnbaum (October 29, 1946 – May 2, 2025) was an American video and installation artist based in New York City. Birnbaum entered the nascent field of video art in the mid-to-late 1970s, challenging the gendered biases of the period ...

(1946–2025), American video and installation artist * Dara Brown (born 1964/1965), news anchor and senior producer for MSNBC.com *

Dara Bubamara Radojka Adžić ( sr-cyr, Радојка Аџић; born 21 May 1976), better known as Dara Bubamara (), is a Serbian singer from Novi Sad. She came to prominence as a member of the Dara Bubamara Show Band. Adžić subsequently pursued a solo care ...

, Serbian singer *

Dara Calleary Dara Calleary (born 10 May 1973) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht since January 2025. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for t ...

, Irish politician *

Dara Dotiwalla Dara Dotiwalla (30 October 1933 – 30 January 2019) was an Indian cricket umpire. Dotiwalla officiated in 14 international matches. He stood in six Test matches between 1982 and 1987, including only the second Tied Test ever tied, and eight ...

(1933–2019), Indian cricket umpire *

Dara Fitzpatrick Dara Fitzpatrick (15 October 1971 – 14 March 2017) was the Irish Coast Guard's most senior helicopter search and rescue pilot. As a Captain, she piloted the Dublin-based Rescue 116 helicopter. She was killed in the 2017 Irish Coast Guard Resc ...

, Irish helicopter pilot * Dara Gallagher, Irish Gaelic footballer *

Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl is an American magazine feature writer and a food and wine writer, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Personal life Dara Moskowitz was born and raised in New York City and graduated from Stuyvesant High School ...

, American magazine feature writer *

Dara Hayes Dara Kristen Hayes (born 27 March 1992), known as Tigerlily, is an Australian DJ and record producer born in Sydney. Tigerlily has two sisters, Georgina Hayes who is a lifestyle blogger, and Greta Hayes (field hockey), Greta Hayes, who is a profe ...

, birth name of the Australian DJ Tigerlily *

Dara Horn Dara Horn (born 1977) is an American novelist, essayist, and professor of literature. She has written five novels and in 2021, released a nonfiction essay collection titled '' People Love Dead Jews'', which was a finalist for the 2021 Kirkus Priz ...

, American novelist *

Dara Howell Dara Howell (born August 23, 1994) is a Canadian freestyle skier. She was the first freestyle skier to win a gold medal in ski slopestyle at the inaugural event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Howell has also won a bronze medal in women's ...

(born 1994), Canadian freestyle skier * Dara Huang (born 1982/1983), British-American architect *

Dara Jingga Dara Jingga, was one of the ethnic Malay, Malay Dharmasraya princess who was intended to be betrothed to Javanese King Kertanegara of Singasari after the Pamalayu expedition 1275–1293. Dara Jingga was the older sister of Dara Petak, the consort ...

, one of the Malay Dharmasraya princess who was intended to be betrothed to Javanese King Kertanegara of Singasari *

Dara Khosrowshahi Dara Khosrowshahi (, ; born May 28, 1969) is an Iranian and American business executive who is the chief executive officer of Uber. He was previously CEO of Expedia Group, a company that owns several travel fare aggregators. He is on the boar ...

Iranian-American Iranian-Americans, also known as Persian-Americans, are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry, or who hold Iranian citizenship. Most Iranian-Americans arrived in the United States after 1979, as a result of the Irani ...

businessman, CEO of

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

Dara Kovačević Dara Kovačević, (Serbian Cyrillic: Дара Ковачевић; born March 13, 1983, in Bačka Palanka, SFR Yugoslavia) is a former Serbian basketball player. External linksProfile
at eurobasket.com 1983 births Living people Sportspeople ...

(born 1983), former Serbian basketball player *

Dara Maclean Dara Joy Maclean (born May 20, 1986) is an American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter born in Miami, Florida, but raised in Fort Worth, Texas, ever since she was eight years old. On July 12, 2011 Maclean released the album entitled ' ...

(born 1986), American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter *

Dara Mohammed Dara Mohammed Habib (; born June 25, 1987) is an Iraqi Association football, football player of Kurdish people, Kurdish ethnicity, who played at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Info Dara Mohammed, who turns 22 on 19 June, raised quite a few ...

(born 1987), Iraqi football player of Kurdish ethnicity *

Dara Murphy Dara Murphy (born 2 December 1969) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Minister of State from 2014 to 2017 and Lord Mayor of Cork from 2009 to 2010. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North-Central constituency ...

, Irish politician *

Dara Nusserwanji Khurody Dara Nusserwanji Khurody (2 January 1906 – 1 January 1983) was an Indian entrepreneur known for his contributions to the dairy industry of India. He worked in various private and government organization at the start of his career and also held ...

(1906–1983), Indian dairy entrepreneur *

Darashaw Nosherwan Wadia Darashaw Nosherwan Wadia FRS (23 October 1883 – 15 June 1969) was a pioneering geologist in India and among the first Indian scientists to work in the Geological Survey of India. He is remembered for his work on the stratigraphy of the ...

(1883–1969), Indian geologist *

Dara Ó Briain Dara Ó Briain ( , ; born 4 February 1972) is an Irish comedian and television presenter based in the United Kingdom. He is noted for performing stand-up comedy shows all over the world and for hosting topical panel shows such as ''Mock the Wee ...

, Irish comedian and TV presenter *

Dara Ó Cinnéide Dara Ó Cinnéide (born 25 April 1975 in Dublin) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for his local club An Ghaeltacht and at senior level for the Kerry county team from 1995 until 2005. Ó Cinnéide captained Kerry to the All-Irel ...

(born 1975), Irish former Gaelic footballer * Dara Ó Conaola (born 1945), Irish writer * Dara O'Shea, Irish Association Football player *

Dara Rasmi Dara Rasmi (; ; , , , August 26, 1873 – December 9, 1933), was a princess of Chiang Mai and Siam (later Thailand) and the daughter of King Inthawichayanon, Inthawichayanon of Chiang Mai and Queen Thip Keson of Chiang Mai descended from the ...

, princess of Chiang Mai *

Dara Reneé Dara Reneé is an American actress, model, rapper, singer and songwriter whose notable roles include Kourtney Greene in the Disney+ mockumentary series '' High School Musical: The Musical: The Series'' and Uliana in the film '' Descendants: The R ...

, American actress *

Dara Rolins Dara Rolins (born Darina Gombošová on 7 December 1972) is a Slovak recording artist and entrepreneur. Her music career began at the age of nine, after being cast in the television musical ''Zázračný autobus'' (1981). The early role establi ...

, Slovak recording artist *

Dara Shikoh Dara Shikoh (20 March 1615 – 30 August 1659), also transliterated as Dara Shukoh, was the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Dara was designated with the title ''Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba'' () and was favoured ...

, Indian prince *

Dara Singh Dara Singh Randhawa (born Deedar Singh Randhawa; 19 November 1928 – 12 July 2012) was an Indian professional wrestler, actor, director and politician. He started acting in 1952 and was the first sportsman to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha ...

, Indian professional wrestler *

Dara Singh (Bajrang Dal) Dara Singh (born Rabindra Kumar Pal; 2 October 1962) is an Indian convicted murderer and a Bajrang Dal activist. He was convicted for leading a mob and setting fire to the station wagon in which the Australian Christian missionary Graham Staine ...

, serial killer *

Dara Strolovitch Dara Strolovitch is a Canadian-American political scientist, currently Professor of Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies, American Studies, and Political Science at Yale University. She studies the politics of race, class, gender, and sexuality ...

, American political scientist *

Dara Torre Dara Torre is an American politician from Vermont. She has been a Democratic member of the Vermont House of Representatives for the Washington 2 District since 2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-cent ...

, American politician *

Dara Torres Dara Grace Torres (born April 15, 1967) is an American former competitive swimmer, who is a 12-time Olympic medalist and former world record-holder in three events. Torres is the first swimmer to represent the United States in five Olympic Ga ...

, American swimmer * Dara Tucker, American singer, songwriter, social commentator and satirist *

Dara (Bulgarian singer) Darina Nikolaeva Yotova (, born 9 September 1998), better known by her stage name Dara (), is a Bulgarian pop singer, who rose to fame in late 2015 after reaching the final in the Bulgarian edition of ''The X Factor''. She is currently signed to ...

, a Bulgarian singer * Dara (דרע) is a personage in 1 Chronicles 2:6, a descendant of Judah, son of Jacob.

Fictional characters

* Sumerian God

Enki Enki ( ) is the Sumerian god of water, knowledge ('' gestú''), crafts (''gašam''), and creation (''nudimmud''), and one of the Anunnaki. He was later known as Ea () or Ae p. 324, note 27. in Akkadian (Assyrian-Babylonian) religion, and ...

was also known as "Dara-Mah" * Dara is a young elf from

The Witcher (TV series) ''The Witcher'' is a fantasy drama television series created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich for Netflix. It is based on the book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass known as the Continent, '' ...

. * Dara is a Romani person from the Brazilian novel

Explode Coração ''Explode Coração'' is a Brazilian telenovela produced by TV Globo. The series aired between 6 November 1995 and 4 May 1996, with a total of 155 episodes. It was written entirely by Glória Perez and directed by Ary Coslov, Gracie, and Carlos ...

* Dara is an elder from Caer Pelyn village from Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones * Dara Shirazi, the protagonist of the book ''The Electric Heir''.

References

{{Reflist Given names