Tarrah
A variant spelling of the Arabic name Tara meaning "star".
Name Census estimates that about 1,013 living Americans carry the first name Tarrah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tarrah today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tarrah births was 1977 (128 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tarrah. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 338,356 Americans
Peak year
1977
128 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2016 SSA rank
#18,606
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Tarrah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tarrah from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 425 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tarrah 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 Tarrah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tarrahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Tarrah, while Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tarrah
The name Tarrah is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, derived from the word "tarah," which means "to rejoice" or "to be happy." It is a feminine name that has been in use since ancient times in the Middle Eastern region.
In the early Islamic era, the name Tarrah was occasionally mentioned in historical records and literary works, though its popularity was relatively limited compared to other Arabic names. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in a 9th-century manuscript that documents the life of a renowned Islamic scholar named Tarrah ibn al-Qasim.
As the Arabic culture and language spread across various regions, the name Tarrah also gained recognition in other parts of the world. During the medieval period, it was occasionally used in parts of Europe and Asia, particularly in areas that had significant cultural or trade connections with the Middle East.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Tarrah was a Persian poet who lived in the 11th century. Known as Tarrah al-Isfahani, she was renowned for her eloquent verses and is considered one of the earliest female poets in the Persian literary tradition.
In the 13th century, a prominent Muslim scholar and philosopher named Tarrah ibn Yahya al-Andalusi made significant contributions to the fields of logic, metaphysics, and Islamic jurisprudence. He was born in Andalusia, which was then under Moorish rule, and his works were widely studied throughout the Islamic world.
During the Ottoman Empire, the name Tarrah gained some popularity among the ruling classes. One notable figure was Tarrah Khanum, a 16th-century Ottoman princess and the daughter of Sultan Selim II. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support for various charitable endeavors.
In more recent history, Tarrah fitt Tyers was an English writer and translator who lived in the 18th century. She is best known for her translations of French literary works, including the novels of Madame de Genlis.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Tarrah throughout history, showcasing its diverse cultural and geographical reach.
People
Tarrah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tarrah 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
Tarrah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tarrah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,013 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tarrah 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 338,356 US residents.
Is Tarrah a common name?
We classify Tarrah as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,074 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tarrah most popular?
The single biggest year for Tarrah was 1977, when 128 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tarrah is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tarrah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tarrah 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.