NameRealm
Inara

Inara: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“illumination”
Origin
Arabic
Say it
ih-NAR-uh · 3 syllables
Used for
Girls

Often explained from Arabic roots related to light, as in inara 'illumination.' The name has also gained wider modern use through literature and screen fiction.

Arabic namesNames meaning lightModern namesInternational names

How popular is Inara?

202451.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Inara in 2024170

2024 rank#1,341 girls

Peak year2023

Total US babies since 18802,341

Inara is rising: use over the last five years is 1.6× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Inara

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Laylanight · Arabic
  • Lylanight · Arabic
  • Aaliyahexalted, rising · Arabic
  • Amiraprincess; commander · Arabic
  • Lilahnight · Arabic
  • Lilanight · Arabic
  • Nylaattainer; successful · Arabic
  • Zarablooming flower · Arabic

Inara questions

What does the name Inara mean?

Inara means "illumination". It comes from Arabic. Often explained from Arabic roots related to light, as in inara 'illumination.' The name has also gained wider modern use through literature and screen fiction.

Is Inara a boy or girl name?

Inara is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Inara?

170 US babies were named Inara in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.

How do you pronounce Inara?

Inara is usually pronounced ih-NAR-uh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.