Daira
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "round" or "circular".
Name Census estimates that about 1,281 living Americans carry the first name Daira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Daira today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Daira births was 2007 (108 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Daira. 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.
Key insights
- • Daira is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 267,568 Americans
Peak year
2007
108 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,388
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Daira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Daira from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 508 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Daira remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Daira 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 Daira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dairas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Daira, while New Jersey, North Carolina, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 68 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Daira
The name Daira is derived from the Arabic language and has its origins in the Middle East. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries CE, when Arabic culture and language flourished across the region.
One potential root of the name Daira could be the Arabic word "daʾira," which means "circle" or "ring." This connection may suggest that the name was originally associated with concepts of unity, completeness, or cyclical patterns in nature or life.
Another possible origin of the name Daira is its relation to the Arabic word "dār," which means "house" or "home." In this context, the name may have been used to symbolize a sense of belonging, shelter, or familial ties.
Unfortunately, there are no definitive historical references or mentions of the name Daira in ancient texts or religious scriptures that have been widely documented. However, this does not preclude the possibility that the name existed and was used within local communities or oral traditions.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Daira can be traced back to the 12th century, with a few notable figures bearing this name throughout history. One such individual was Daira bint Al-Aziz, a renowned poet and scholar who lived in Andalusia (modern-day Spain) during the 12th century CE.
Another notable figure was Daira al-Khatun, a powerful and influential political figure in the Ayyubid dynasty of Syria and Egypt in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. She played a crucial role in the succession of her son, Al-Malik Al-Kamil, to the throne.
In the 14th century, Daira al-Hamdaniya was a renowned scholar and writer from Baghdad, known for her contributions to Arabic literature and poetry.
Moving forward in time, Daira al-Saffah was a prominent Egyptian poet and writer who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, renowned for her elegant and thought-provoking works.
Lastly, Daira al-Khalil was a Palestinian activist and women's rights advocate in the early 20th century, who played an important role in the struggle for independence and gender equality in her region.
While the name Daira may not be as widely known or popular today, its rich history and potential connections to concepts of unity, belonging, and intellectual pursuits make it a fascinating and culturally significant name from the Arabic tradition.
People
Daira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Daira as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Daira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Daira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,281 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Daira 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 267,568 US residents.
Is Daira a common name?
We classify Daira as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,300 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Daira most popular?
The single biggest year for Daira was 2007, when 108 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Daira is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Daira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Daira 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.
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.