Ira

Ira: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“watchful”
Origin
Hebrew
Say it
EYE-ruh · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys (89% of all uses)

Biblical name borne by several minor figures in the Old Testament. It is generally derived from Hebrew and is also long used in English-speaking contexts.

How popular is Ira?

2024115 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 Ira in 2024384

2024 rank#974 boys

Peak year1881

Total US babies since 188062,006

Ira is rising: use over the last five years is 2.3× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Ira

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Noahrest; comfort · Hebrew
  • Jamessupplanter · Hebrew
  • Elijahmy God is Yahweh · Hebrew
  • JohnYahweh is gracious · Hebrew
  • Michaelwho is like God? · Hebrew
  • Benjaminson of the right hand · Hebrew
  • Levijoined, attached · Hebrew
  • DanielGod is my judge · Hebrew

Ira questions

What does the name Ira mean?

Ira means "watchful". It comes from Hebrew. Biblical name borne by several minor figures in the Old Testament. It is generally derived from Hebrew and is also long used in English-speaking contexts.

Is Ira a boy or girl name?

Ira is mainly a boy's name in US records (89% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ira?

384 US babies were named Ira in 2024. Its peak year was 1881.

How do you pronounce Ira?

Ira is usually pronounced EYE-ruh.

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.