Yaara
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "woodlands" or "forests".
Name Census estimates that about 67 living Americans carry the first name Yaara. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yaara today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yaara births was 2016 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yaara. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Yaara with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yaara. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
67
~ 1 in 5,115,736 Americans
Peak year
2016
11 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,259
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Yaara: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yaara from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 36 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yaara 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 Yaara during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Yaara
The name Yaara is a Hebrew feminine name with roots dating back to ancient times. Its origins can be traced to the Hebrew word "ya'ar," which means "forest" or "wood." This connection suggests that the name may have been given to girls born in or near forested areas or those with a strong affinity for nature.
In the Bible, the word "ya'ar" appears in several passages, including in the Book of Isaiah, where it is used to describe the lush forests of Lebanon. While the name Yaara itself is not explicitly mentioned in religious texts, its linguistic ties to this Hebrew word give it a rich historical and cultural significance.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Yaara can be found in ancient Hebrew inscriptions and documents from the Middle Eastern region. One notable figure who bore this name was Yaara bat Yehuda, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the 12th century in Spain. Her works, which explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality, have been celebrated for their eloquence and depth.
Another historical figure named Yaara was Yaara Ha-Levi, a 13th-century Jewish philosopher and commentator on the works of Maimonides. She was highly regarded for her intellectual contributions and her ability to bridge the gap between traditional Jewish teachings and the emerging philosophical movements of her time.
In more recent history, Yaara Zaritsky was an Israeli painter and sculptor who lived from 1923 to 2005. Her vibrant and expressive artworks, often depicting scenes from everyday life, earned her widespread recognition and numerous awards throughout her career.
Yaara Tal, born in 1964, is a notable Israeli actress and television personality who has appeared in numerous films, TV shows, and stage productions. Her versatile performances and commitment to her craft have made her a beloved figure in the entertainment industry.
Yaara Shalom, born in 1985, is a celebrated Israeli-American singer and songwriter. Her unique blend of pop, folk, and Middle Eastern influences has earned her critical acclaim and a dedicated following, both in Israel and internationally.
While the name Yaara has deep roots in Hebrew culture and history, its distinctive sound and meaning have resonated with people from various backgrounds, making it a popular choice for baby names worldwide.
People
Yaara + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yaara as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yaara: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yaara?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 67 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yaara 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 5,115,736 US residents.
Is Yaara a common name?
We classify Yaara as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 67 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yaara most popular?
The single biggest year for Yaara was 2016, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yaara is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Yaara in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yaara a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yaara 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.
Is Yaara still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yaara in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Yaara can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Yaara?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.