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{{short description|The name's history and a list of its prominent bearers}}
{{Short description|Name in various languages}}
{{other uses}}
{{mcn|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox given name
{{Infobox given name
| name = Dara
| name = Dara
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| caption=
| caption=
| pronunciation=  
| pronunciation=  
| gender = Female, Male
| gender = both
| meaning = oak, beautiful, maiden, wisdom, lord, well-off, pearl, gift, sovereign, Halo, dove, compassion, pendant, special, one of a kind
| meaning = various
| region =  
| region =  
| origin = Irish, Muslim, Persian, Kazakh, Yoruba, Cambodian, Lao, Indonesian, Indigenous, Thai, Hebrew, Slavic.
| origin = various
| related names = Dora, Bojidar, Bozhidar, Bojidara
| related names = [[Darius (given name)|Darius]], Dora, Bojidar, Bozhidar, Bojidara
| footnotes =  
| footnotes =  
}}
}}
{{Dablink|For other uses, and for people named Dara, see [[Dara (disambiguation)]]}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
'''Dara''' are several [[given name]]s used for both men and women in different languages.


'''Dara''' is a [[given name]] used for both males and females, with more than one origin. Dara is found in the [[Bible]]'s [[Old Testament]] [[Books of Chronicles]]. Dara [דרע] was a descendant of [[Judah (son of Jacob)]]. (The Bible. 1 Chronicles 2:6). Dara (also known as Darda דרדע) was one of four men noted for great wisdom, but exceeded by King Solomon (1 Kings 4:31). In [[Persian language|Persian]] Dara (Persian: دارا) is a masculine name and a variant of [[Darius (given name)|Darius]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/darius-index|title=Darius (Encyclopædia Iranica)}}</ref> In contemporary Persian, it means "rich", "well-off" and "well-to-do". In [[Hebrew]] Dara means compassion or pearl of wisdom. In Urdu, the name is given to baby boys and its meaning is "Possessor" or  "sovereign" and "Halo"(of the moon).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muslimkidnames.com/name/Dara|title=Islamic Name Dara Meanings in Urdu - Muslim Boy Names}}</ref> It can also mean "sovereign" or "lord", a meaning shared with the Sikh language. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.modernindianbabynames.com/meaning_of_sikh_boy_name_dara.htm|title=Meaning of Sikh Boy Name Dara}}</ref> In Parsi, Dara means "Bell" or "Pendant"<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SSdCL2ZfflIC&q=dara++meaning+name&pg=PA108|title=The Complete Book of Muslim and ParsiNames|isbn=9780143031840|last1=Gandhi|first1=Maneka|last2=Husain|first2=Ozair|year=2004}}</ref>
== Etymology ==
Dara are several different [[homonymous]] names with different [[etymological]] origins.


In [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]], the name means special, one of a kind, only one, and is a feminine name. In old [[Bulgaria]] and [[North Macedonia]], [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] and Serbian language (Serbia), Dara means Gift, or to give a gift, its meaning directly derives from "dar", which means "gift". In [[Khmer language|Khmer]], [[Thai language|Thai]] and [[Lao language|Lao]], Dara is a unisex name meaning "star". In [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], Dara means "leader".  
*In [[Hebrew]], Dara means "compassion" or "pearl of wisdom".{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}
 
*In [[Bulgaria]], [[North Macedonia]] and [[Serbia]], Dara means "gift", or "to give a gift", its meaning directly derives from ''dar'' "gift".
In [[Irish language|Irish]], Dara can mean either "oak" or "wise". Dara is also frequently used in [[Ireland]] (and the [[United States]]), as either a masculine or a feminine [[given name]], and it also occurs as a [[surname]]. The spelling varies, with variations including [[Daire]], [[Darragh]] and Daragh. The Irish form is probably derived from ''doire'', the [[Irish language|Irish]] word for "oak tree", though as a surname it may be a version of the [[Irish name]] ''Mac Dubhdara''. In Irish and [[Scottish Gaelic]], ''dara'' means "second". In [[Javanese language|Javanese]], Dara (in which the letters A are pronounced /ɔ/ by the majority of the speakers, slightly like the pronunciation of the letter å in [[Danish language|Danish]] and [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]) means "dove" or "pigeon".
*In [[Ibibio language|Ibibio]], Dara is a derivative of "joy", and it means "rejoice".
 
*In [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], Dara is a feminine given name meaning "girl", "young woman", or "virgin".
Because of the tone mark in Yoruba Language, Dara is also a short form of Oluwashindara which means "Wonder" (God still does wonder).
*In [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]], Dara is a short form of the name Oluwadara or Oluwadarasimi, given to a male or female child meaning "God's Good". Oluwa means "God" and Dara means "is good".
 
*Dara is an [[anglicisation (linguistics)|anglicisation]] of the [[Irish language]] given name [[Dáire]], which is likely derived from {{lang|ga|doire}} "oak wood".{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} Despite traditionally being masculine, it is sometimes used as a unisex name. Alternative spellings include [[Daire]] or [[Darragh]]. It also occurs as a [[surname]], possibly a version of the surname {{lang|ga|Mac Dubhdara}}.
In [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], Dara means "girl", "young woman", or "virgin". As indicated by these meanings, Dara is a feminine name in Indonesian.
*In [[Javanese language|Javanese]], Dara means "dove" or "pigeon".
 
*Because of the diacritic mark in [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]], Dara is also a short form of Oluwaṣindara, which means "wonder (God still does wonder)".
The word "Odara" derives from the Brazilian indigenous Ioruba word dara, meaning "gorgeous." In African-American culture, the name Dara is of Bermudian origin, also meaning "beautiful".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meaning-of-names.com/african-american-names/dara.asp|title=Names - Meaning of Dara}}</ref> In [[Telugu language|Telugu]], Dara means "come". In Gujarati Dara means "every one" <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shabdkosh.com/gu/translate/dara/dara-meaning-in-Gujarati-English|title=dara - Meaning in Gujarati - dara in Gujarati - Shabdkosh - શબ્દકોશ : English Gujarati Dictionary and Translation}}</ref> In the [[Swahili language|Swahili]] version Dara also means "the beautiful one".
*In [[Gokana language|Gokana]], "Dara" mean to "carry".
*In [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]], Dara is a feminine given name meaning "special, one of a kind".
*In [[Khmer language|Khmer]], [[Thai language|Thai]], and [[Lao language|Lao]], Dara is a unisex name meaning "star".
*In [[Persian language|Persian]], and  [[Parsis|Parsi]] communities, {{transliteration|fa|Dara}} ({{langx|fa|دارا}}) is a variant of the masculine given name [[Darius (given name)|Darius]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/darius-index|title=Darius (Encyclopædia Iranica)}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Gandhi |first1=Maneka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SSdCL2ZfflIC&q=dara++meaning+name&pg=PA108 |title=The Complete Book of Muslim and ParsiNames |last2=Husain |first2=Ozair |year=2004 |isbn=9780143031840}}</ref> In contemporary Persian, it means "rich", "well-off" and "well-to-do".
*In [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], Dara means "leader".
*In [[Swahili language|Swahili]], Dara means "the beautiful one".
*The word "Odara" derives from the Brazilian indigenous Ioruba word ''dara'', meaning "gorgeous."
*In [[Urdu]], Dara is a masculine given name meaning "possessor" or "sovereign" and "halo (of the moon)".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muslimkidnames.com/name/Dara|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093914/http://www.muslimkidnames.com/name/Dara|url-status=usurped|archive-date=March 4, 2016|title=Islamic Name Dara Meanings in Urdu - Muslim Boy Names}}</ref> It can also mean "sovereign" or "lord", a meaning shared with the Sikh language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.modernindianbabynames.com/meaning_of_sikh_boy_name_dara.htm|title=Meaning of Sikh Boy Name Dara|access-date=2016-01-08|archive-date=2015-10-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004082439/http://www.modernindianbabynames.com/meaning_of_sikh_boy_name_dara.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Urdu, Dara is a short form of [[Dariush|Darius]].
*In African-American culture, the name Dara is of Bermudian origin, also meaning "beautiful".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meaning-of-names.com/african-american-names/dara.asp|title=Names - Meaning of Dara}}</ref>


== People ==
== People ==
* [[Sandara Park|Dara]], South Korean singer, actress and TV presenter, real name Sandara Park
* [[Sandara Park|Dara]], (born Sandara Park, 1984), South Korean singer, actress and TV presenter, member of K-pop girl group 2NE1
* [[Dara Al-Bakry]], Jordanian swimmer
* [[Dara Alizadeh]] (born 1993), Bermudian and American rower who represents Bermuda
* [[Dara Bashir]] (born 1960), Pakistani former first-class cricketer
* [[Dara Birnbaum]] (1946–2025), American video and installation artist
* [[Dara Brown]] (born 1964/1965), news anchor and senior producer for MSNBC.com
* [[Dara Bubamara]], Serbian singer
* [[Dara Calleary]], Irish politician  
* [[Dara Calleary]], Irish politician  
* [[Dara Dotiwalla]] (1933–2019), Indian cricket umpire
* [[Dara Fitzpatrick]], Irish helicopter pilot
* [[Dara Gallagher]], Irish Gaelic footballer
* [[Dara Greig]] (born 2000), American-born Canadian ice hockey player
* [[Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl]], American magazine feature writer
* [[Dara Hayes]], birth name of the Australian DJ Tigerlily  
* [[Dara Hayes]], birth name of the Australian DJ Tigerlily  
* [[Dara Horn]], U S novelist  
* [[Dara Horn]], American novelist
* [[Dara Howell]] (born 1994), Canadian freestyle skier
* [[Dara Huang]] (born 1982/1983), British-American architect
* [[Dara Jingga]], one of the Malay Dharmasraya princess who was intended to be betrothed to Javanese King Kertanegara of Singasari
* [[Dara Khosrowshahi]], [[Iranian Americans|Iranian-American]] businessman, CEO of [[Uber]]
* [[Dara Kovačević]] (born 1983), former Serbian basketball player
* [[Dara Maclean]] (born 1986), American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter
* [[Dara Mohammed]] (born 1987), Iraqi football player of Kurdish ethnicity
* [[Dara Murphy]], Irish politician
* [[Dara Murphy]], Irish politician
* [[Dara Nusserwanji Khurody]] (1906–1983), Indian dairy entrepreneur
* [[Dara Nusserwanji Khurody]] (1906–1983), Indian dairy entrepreneur
* [[Darashaw Nosherwan Wadia]] (1883–1969), Indian geologist
* [[Darashaw Nosherwan Wadia]] (1883–1969), Indian geologist
* [[Dara Ó Briain]], Irish comedian and TV presenter
* [[Dara Ó Briain]], Irish comedian and TV presenter
*[[Dara O'Shea]], Irish Association Football Player
* [[Dara Ó Cinnéide]] (born 1975), Irish former Gaelic footballer
* [[Dara Rasmi]] , princess of Chiang Mai  
* [[Dara Ó Conaola]] (born 1945), Irish writer
* [[Dara O'Shea]], Irish Association Football player
* [[Dara Rasmi]], princess of Chiang Mai  
* [[Dara Reneé]], American actress
* [[Dara Reneé]], American actress
* [[Dara Khosrowshahi]], [[Iranian Americans|Iranian-American]] businessman, CEO of [[Uber]]
* [[Dara Rolins]], Slovak recording artist  
* [[Dara Rolins]], Slovak recording artist  
* [[Dara Shikoh]], Indian prince  
* [[Dara Shikoh]], Indian prince  
* [[Dara Singh]], Indian professional wrestler   
* [[Dara Singh]], Indian professional wrestler   
* [[Dara Singh (Bajrang Dal)]], serial killer
* [[Dara Singh (Bajrang Dal)]], serial killer
* [[Dara Strolovitch]], political scientist from United States of America
* [[Dara Strolovitch]], American political scientist
* [[Dara Torres]], U S swimmer
* [[Dara Torre]], American politician
* [[Darashaw Nosherwan Wadia|Dara Shaw Nosherwan Wadia]] (1883–1969), Indian geologist
* [[Dara Torres]], American swimmer
* [[Dara Tucker]], American singer, songwriter, social commentator and satirist
* [[Dara (Bulgarian singer)]], a Bulgarian singer
* Dara (דרע) is a personage in [[Books of Chronicles|1 Chronicles 2:6]], a descendant of Judah, son of Jacob.


== Fictional characters ==
== Fictional characters ==
* Sumerian God [[Enki]] was also known as "Dara-Mah" <ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lMGGBAAAQBAJ&q=Sumerian+Dara+Mah&pg=PT99|title=Celtic Tree Magic|isbn=9780738744063|last1=Forest|first1=Danu|date=8 October 2014}}</ref>
* Sumerian God [[Enki]] was also known as "Dara-Mah" <ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lMGGBAAAQBAJ&q=Sumerian+Dara+Mah&pg=PT99|title=Celtic Tree Magic|isbn=9780738744063|last1=Forest|first1=Danu|date=8 October 2014}}</ref>
* Dara is a young elf from the tv show [[The Witcher (TV series)|Witcher]].  
* Dara is a young elf from [[The Witcher (TV series)]].  
* Dara is a gypsy from the brazilian novel [[Explode Coração]]
* Dara is a Romani person from the Brazilian novel [[Explode Coração]]
* Dara is an elder from Caer Pelyn village from [[Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones|Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones]]
* Dara is an elder from Caer Pelyn village from [[Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones|Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones]]
* Dara Shirazi, protagonist of the book The Electric Heir.  
* Dara Shirazi, the protagonist of the book ''The Electric Heir''.
 
* Dara is the Princess, and later the Queen, of the Courts of Chaos in [[The Chronicles of Amber]]
== Other meanings ==
 
*Dara is a [[gotra]] (clan) of certain [[Jat people|Jats]] and [[Punjabis]] found in [[India]].{{cn|date=May 2017}} Members of the Dara gotra are found mainly in [[Rajasthan]] (majority), [[Delhi]] and [[Haryana]] in India. Dara mostly belong to the [[Khatri]] caste.
*In the Sudan, it is also known as Gbaya-Dara, a Central Sudan language of South Sudan.  It is one of the Kresh Languages.  Though it is commonly called Gbaya, it is not one of the Abaya languages, which are in the Ubangian family.
*In [[Urdu]], Dara is a short form of [[Dariush|Darius]].
*In [[Kannada]], Dara's word (<span lang="kn" dir="ltr">dAra)</span> means thread.
*It is the name of a male doll, and [[Dara and Sara]] are sold as "Iran's alternative to Ken and [[Barbie]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/3071622/Muslim-Barbie-and-Ken-dolls-created-by-Iranian-government.html|title=Muslim 'Barbie and Ken' dolls created by Iranian government|author=Charlotte Bailey|date=24 September 2008|work=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> It is the descendant of the [[Old Persian]] name ''Darayaush'' ([[Darius (given name)|Darius]])
* In [[Maranao language|Meranau]] Dara is a Blood.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
* In ancient Sumerian language, Babylonian-Akkadian Cuneiform Tablet writing Dara means "blood"    <ref>Secrets of the Sumerian Language 2012</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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==References==
==References==
<references />
{{Reflist}}


[[Category:Given names]]
[[Category:Given names]]

Latest revision as of 20:53, 23 February 2026


Template:Mcn Template:Infobox given name Dara are several given names used for both men and women in different languages.

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Dara are several different homonymous names with different etymological origins.

  • In Hebrew, Dara means "compassion" or "pearl of wisdom".[citation needed]
  • In Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Serbia, Dara means "gift", or "to give a gift", its meaning directly derives from dar "gift".
  • In Ibibio, Dara is a derivative of "joy", and it means "rejoice".
  • In Indonesian, Dara is a feminine given name meaning "girl", "young woman", or "virgin".
  • In Yoruba, Dara is a short form of the name Oluwadara or Oluwadarasimi, given to a male or female child meaning "God's Good". Oluwa means "God" and Dara means "is good".
  • Dara is an anglicisation of the Irish language given name Dáire, which is likely derived from doire "oak wood".[citation needed] Despite traditionally being masculine, it is sometimes used as a unisex name. Alternative spellings include Daire or Darragh. It also occurs as a surname, possibly a version of the surname Mac Dubhdara.
  • In Javanese, Dara means "dove" or "pigeon".
  • Because of the diacritic mark in Yoruba, Dara is also a short form of Oluwaṣindara, which means "wonder (God still does wonder)".
  • In Gokana, "Dara" mean to "carry".
  • In Kazakh, Dara is a feminine given name meaning "special, one of a kind".
  • In Khmer, Thai, and Lao, Dara is a unisex name meaning "star".
  • In Persian, and Parsi communities, Dara (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) is a variant of the masculine given name Darius.[1][2] In contemporary Persian, it means "rich", "well-off" and "well-to-do".
  • In Punjabi, Dara means "leader".
  • In Swahili, Dara means "the beautiful one".
  • The word "Odara" derives from the Brazilian indigenous Ioruba word dara, meaning "gorgeous."
  • In Urdu, Dara is a masculine given name meaning "possessor" or "sovereign" and "halo (of the moon)".[3] It can also mean "sovereign" or "lord", a meaning shared with the Sikh language.[4] In Urdu, Dara is a short form of Darius.
  • In African-American culture, the name Dara is of Bermudian origin, also meaning "beautiful".[5]

People[edit | edit source]

Fictional characters[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. "Darius (Encyclopædia Iranica)".
  2. Gandhi, Maneka; Husain, Ozair (2004). The Complete Book of Muslim and ParsiNames. ISBN 9780143031840.
  3. "Islamic Name Dara Meanings in Urdu - Muslim Boy Names". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  4. "Meaning of Sikh Boy Name Dara". Archived from the original on 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
  5. "Names - Meaning of Dara".
  6. Forest, Danu (8 October 2014). Celtic Tree Magic. ISBN 9780738744063.