Tarra
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "bearing good news".
Name Census estimates that about 2,115 living Americans carry the first name Tarra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tarra today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tarra births was 1972 (118 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tarra. 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.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 162,059 Americans
Peak year
1972
118 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2020 SSA rank
#13,330
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Tarra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tarra from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 852 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tarra 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 Tarra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tarras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. California, New York, Michigan recorded the most babies named Tarra, while South Carolina, Mississippi, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tarra
The name Tarra is believed to have its origins in ancient Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages of the Indian subcontinent, dating back to around 1500-500 BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "tara," meaning "star" or "heavenly body." The name may have been inspired by the celestial bodies observed by ancient Indian astronomers and astrologers.
In Hindu mythology, Tara is the name of a goddess associated with protection, fertility, and abundance. She is revered as the mother goddess and is often depicted as a beautiful woman holding lotus flowers or seated on a lotus throne. The name Tarra may have been given to children as a way to invoke the blessings and protection of this benevolent deity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tarra can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata, which dates back to around the 8th or 9th century BCE. In this epic, Tara is mentioned as the wife of King Vali, the mythological ruler of the monkeys.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tarra. One of the earliest was Tarra Bai (1675-1761), a powerful queen of the Maratha Empire in India during the 18th century. She played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Maratha territories.
Another famous Tarra was Tarra Karim Khani (1836-1889), a prominent Afghan poet and writer who composed poetry in both Persian and Pashto languages. Her works were widely acclaimed for their depth, beauty, and social commentary.
In the realm of entertainment, Tarra White (1904-1988) was an American actress and singer who gained fame during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. She appeared in several Broadway musicals and films, showcasing her talent and contributing to the vibrant cultural scene of the time.
More recently, Tarra Gerlando (born 1967) is an American lawyer and legal analyst who has appeared as a commentator on various news networks, providing insights on high-profile legal cases and issues.
Lastly, Tarra Muente (born 1987) is a Canadian actress and model known for her roles in television series such as The Bold and the Beautiful and Heartland.
People
Tarra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tarra as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tarra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tarra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,115 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tarra 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 162,059 US residents.
Is Tarra a common name?
We classify Tarra as "Rare". It ranks above 93.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,295 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tarra most popular?
The single biggest year for Tarra was 1972, when 118 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tarra is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tarra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tarra 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.