Dara is a given name used for both men and woman with multiple origins.

Etymology

Dara as a given name has various 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".
• Oluwadara is a Yoruba name 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". 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 tone mark in Yoruba, Dara is also a short form of Oluwashindara, which means "wonder (God still does wonder)".
• 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 (Persian: دارا) 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.
• 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 African-American culture, the name Dara is of Bermudian origin, also meaning "beautiful".^[5]

People

• Dara, South Korean singer, actress and TV presenter, real name Sandara Park
• Dara Bubamara, Serbian singer
• Dara Calleary, Irish politician
• Dara Fitzpatrick, Irish helicopter pilot
• Dara Hayes, birth name of the Australian DJ Tigerlily
• Dara Horn, American novelist
• Dara Khosrowshahi, Iranian-American businessman, CEO of Uber
• Dara Murphy, Irish politician
• Dara Nusserwanji Khurody (1906–1983), Indian dairy entrepreneur
• Darashaw Nosherwan Wadia (1883–1969), Indian geologist
• Dara Ó Briain, Irish comedian and TV presenter
• Dara O'Shea, Irish Association Football player
• Dara Rasmi, princess of Chiang Mai
• Dara Reneé, American actress
• Dara Rolins, Slovak recording artist
• Dara Shikoh, Indian prince
• Dara Singh, Indian professional wrestler
• Dara Singh (Bajrang Dal), serial killer
• Dara Strolovitch, American political scientist
• Dara Torre, American politician
• Dara Torres, American swimmer
• Dara (Bulgarian singer), a Bulgarian singer

Fictional characters

• Sumerian God Enki was also known as "Dara-Mah" ^[6]
• Dara is a young elf from The Witcher (TV series).
• Dara is a gypsy from the Brazilian novel Explode Coração
• Dara is an elder from Caer Pelyn village from Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones
• Dara Shirazi, the protagonist of the book The Electric Heir.