Zaara
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "flower" or "blossom".
Name Census estimates that about 770 living Americans carry the first name Zaara. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zaara today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zaara births was 2011 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zaara. 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
770
~ 1 in 445,136 Americans
Peak year
2011
52 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,766
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Zaara: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zaara from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 379 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zaara remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zaara 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 Zaara during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zaaras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Zaara, while Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 37 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zaara
The name Zaara is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language. It is derived from the Arabic word "zahrah," which means "flower" or "blossom." This name has been popular in various parts of the Arab world and among Muslim communities for centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zaara can be found in ancient Islamic texts and historical records from the 7th century CE. It was mentioned as the name of a woman who lived during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Medina, which was then part of the Arabian Peninsula.
In the 9th century CE, a famous Arab poet named Zaara bint Al-Abbās Al-Sulami was renowned for her eloquence and mastery of the Arabic language. She was born in Basra, modern-day Iraq, and her poetry has been preserved in various anthologies.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from 750 to 1258 CE, the name Zaara was popular among the nobility and upper classes. One notable figure was Zaara al-Khālidiyya, a princess and scholar who lived in the 9th century CE and was known for her knowledge of medicine and literature.
In the 12th century CE, a woman named Zaara al-Andalusiyya was a prominent calligrapher and artist from Andalusia, the region comprising modern-day Spain and Portugal. Her intricate calligraphic works were highly sought after and are still preserved in museums today.
Throughout the centuries, the name Zaara has been popular among Muslims across various regions, including the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Central and South Asia. It has also been used by non-Muslims in some cultures, particularly in areas with significant Arabic influence.
People
Zaara + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zaara as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zaara: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zaara?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 770 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zaara 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 445,136 US residents.
Is Zaara a common name?
We classify Zaara as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 777 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zaara most popular?
The single biggest year for Zaara was 2011, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zaara is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zaara a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zaara 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.