Cara - Name Meaning and Origin

The girl's name Cara \c(a)-ra\ is pronounced KAR-ah. It is of Latin, Irish and Gaelic origin, and its meaning is "beloved; friend". 20th-century coinage. Cari is a Spanish short form or "caridad", meaning "dear, darling", and is also the name of a star in the Orion constellation. Many variants listed here are blends of Cara and various name endings. See also Caroline.

Cara has 21 variant forms: Carabelle, Caralea, Caralee, Caralie, Caralina, Caraline, Caralisa, Carella, Caretta, Cari, Carille, Carina, Carine, Carita, Carrie, Carry, Kara, Karina, Karine, Karrie and Karry.

For more information, see also related names Careen and Carissa.

Baby names that sound like Cara are Cary, Caro and Cora.

Cara is a very popular female first name and an uncommon surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the girl's name Cara. Click here to compare Cara with related baby names.