# Dara

Dara are several given names used for both men and women in different languages.

## Etymology

Dara are several different homonymous names with different etymological origins.
* In Hebrew, Dara means "compassion" or "pearl of wisdom".
* 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 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 (Persian: دارا) is a variant of the masculine given name Darius. 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)". It can also mean "sovereign" or "lord", a meaning shared with the Sikh language. In Urdu, Dara is a short form of Darius.
* In African-American culture, the name Dara is of Bermudian origin, also meaning "beautiful".

## People

* Dara, (born Sandara Park, 1984), South Korean singer, actress and TV presenter, member of K-pop girl group 2NE1
* 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
* Dara (דרע) is a personage in 1 Chronicles 2:6, a descendant of Judah, son of Jacob.

## Fictional characters

* Sumerian God Enki was also known as "Dara-Mah"
* Dara is a young elf from The Witcher (TV series).
* Dara is a Romani person 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.