Ciarra
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly derived from Ciara.
Name Census estimates that about 3,261 living Americans carry the first name Ciarra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ciarra today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ciarra births was 1997 (206 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ciarra. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ciarra with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.3K
~ 1 in 105,107 Americans
Peak year
1997
206 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,419
Tracked since 1979
Census
Ciarra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,756 people with the first name Ciarra, which placed it at #5,973 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,973
National first-name rank
People counted
2.8K
2,756 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
44.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ciarra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ciarra is White at 44.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.6%) and Hispanic (15.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ciarra described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ciarra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.0% · 1,212
- Black or African American29.6% · 816
- Hispanic or Latino15.0% · 414
- Two or more races9.0% · 248
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 25
Popularity
Ciarra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ciarra from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 1,544 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ciarra by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ciarra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ciarras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. California, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Ciarra, while Oklahoma, Kansas, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 68 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ciarra
The name Ciarra is believed to have its origins in the Irish language, tracing back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "ciar," which translates to "dark" or "black-haired." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone with dark features or hair.
In ancient Irish folklore and mythology, there are references to figures bearing names similar to Ciarra, such as Ciara or Ciaran. However, it is difficult to establish a direct connection between these mythological characters and the modern name Ciarra.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ciarra can be found in the 16th century annals of Ireland, where it was mentioned as the name of a woman from the O'Brien clan, a prominent Irish family. Unfortunately, specific details about this individual are scarce.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who carried the name Ciarra. In the 17th century, Ciarra Ní Chonaill was a renowned Irish poet and composer, known for her contributions to the Irish literary tradition.
In the 19th century, Ciarra MacNamara was a celebrated Irish artist whose works captured the landscapes and rural life of her homeland. She was born in 1825 and lived until 1898.
Moving into the 20th century, Ciarra O'Donnell was a prominent Irish political activist and advocate for women's rights. She played a significant role in the Irish independence movement and was active in the early 20th century.
Another notable figure from the 20th century was Ciarra Fitzgerald, an Irish-American author and journalist born in 1922. She wrote extensively about Irish culture and the immigrant experience in America, publishing several critically acclaimed works during her lifetime.
Lastly, in the realm of sports, Ciarra O'Connor was an accomplished Irish golfer who competed professionally in the late 20th century. She won multiple tournaments and represented Ireland at various international events, contributing to the growth of women's golf in her home country.
While the name Ciarra has Irish roots and a rich historical background, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in recent times. However, the focus of this report remains on the ancient origins and notable figures from history who bore this name.
People
Ciarra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ciarra as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ciarra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ciarra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,261 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ciarra going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 105,107 US residents.
Is Ciarra a common name?
We classify Ciarra as "Rare". It ranks above 95.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,352 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ciarra most popular?
The single biggest year for Ciarra was 1997, when 206 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ciarra is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ciarra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,756 people with the name Ciarra, or 0.91 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,973 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ciarra in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ciarra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ciarra appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,752 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ciarra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ciarra is White at 44.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.6%) and Hispanic (15.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ciarra most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ciarra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.0% (1,212 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ciarra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ciarra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ciarra in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ciarra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ciarra in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ciarra can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Ciarra?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.