name Uncommon

Tara

TAH-ruh

Tara (name) means an Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings. Example: “No more to chiefs and ladies bright The harp of Tara swells”

name

An Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings.

"No more to chiefs and ladies bright The harp of Tara swells" — Thomas Moore (1808)

An Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings. A small settlement in County Meath, Ireland, near the Hill of Tara (Irish grid ref N 9458)

A female given name transferred from the place name, of 20th century and later usage.

"Many had already taken out loans and purchased equipment in preparation for the program’s continuation, said Tara Roberts-Turner, general manager of the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative (WFHC), a farmer-led distribution network serving more than 400 farmers and the state’s largest food hub." — (2025)

A male given name.

"the story of Tara Cochrane, a war veteran, a physician, and a burned-out man who describes himself in terms of a bad cigarette" — Janice Holt Giles (1952)

Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill: A community in Arran-Elderslie municipality, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada.

Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill: An unincorporated community in Manatee County, Florida, United States.

Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill: A township in Swift County, Minnesota, United States.

Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill: A township in Traverse County, Minnesota.

Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill: A locality in the Temora council area, central New South Wales, Australia.

Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill: A town in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia.

A female Buddha typically associated with Buddhist tantra practice as preserved in Tibetan Buddhism. She is the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements.

A female given name from Sanskrit.

A surname.

A barangay of Bolinao, Pangasinan, Philippines.

A barangay of Coron, Palawan, Philippines.

A barangay of Sipocot, Camarines Sur, Philippines.

A barangay of Mabinay, Negros Oriental, Philippines.

A transliteration of the Persian female given name تارا (târâ).

intj

informal Goodbye.

"2004: Metro in This is London (website of London Evening Standard), Jolie says ta-ra to Lara - Pssst...Actress Angelina Jolie's days as Tomb Raider action hero Lara Croft are over."

noun

The tern.

"These are Hine-karoro (origin and personification of the karoro, or black-billed gull), the next born being Hine-tara (the tara, or tern); the next is Hine-tore. The last born of that lot was Punga, the origin of[…]" — Royal Society of New Zealand (1909)

"Another account says that a tara (tern) and other birds alighted at Tahunatapu, the first part of the fish to surface, and that Maui greeted its appearance with an incantation that included the words : Appears the great land lying[…]" — Alexander Wyclif Reed (1977)

"Most numerous and widespread of the terns of Aotearoa are the tara, or white-fronted terns. Another species, also named tara , is the smaller black-fronted tern.[…]" — Margaret Orbell (2003)

"Again it is said that the tara (tern) alighted on the new land at Tahunatapu, the first part to emerge from the sea, and was followed by other birds. Māui recited an incantation of welcome which included the words : Appears the[…]" — Alexander Wyclif Reed (2004)

A small silver coin current in South India at the time of the arrival of the Portuguese.

"The only silver coin of this empire reported so far is a Tara of the time of Pratāpa devaraya." — The Journal of the Numismatic Society of India (1979)

A plant native to Peru, the spiny holdback, Tara spinosa

"The pods of the tara plant are used to make tara gum and tara flour. The latter has been found to be an unapproved food additive." — (2024)

Word forms

Taras plural, taras plural, taras plural, taras plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “Tara” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

No more to chiefs and ladies bright The harp of _____ swells

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish Teamhrach, genitive of Teamhair, from Old Irish Temair (literally “high place”). The female given name is derived from the name of the plantation in Gone with the Wind, named for the place in Ireland.

Origin: Old Irish

Synonyms

View more →

cheerio bye farewell ta-ta

Related words

hello bye goodbye cheers farewell greeting parting cheerio

Rhymes for Tara

ara kara para bara mara Nara Sara Lara Dara Cara Zara Hara

See all rhymes for Tara →

Frequently asked questions

What does “Tara” mean?

The word “Tara” means an Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings.

How do you pronounce “Tara”?

“Tara” is pronounced TAH-ruh (/ˈtɑːɹə/ in IPA).

How do you use “Tara” in a sentence?

Here is “Tara” used in a sentence: “No more to chiefs and ladies bright The harp of Tara swells.”

What part of speech is “Tara”?

Depending on how it is used, “Tara” can be a name, an intj and a noun.

Where does the word “Tara” come from?

The word “Tara” comes from Old Irish.

Is “Tara” a common word?

“Tara” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “Tara” have?

“Tara” has 22 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings.

What is the difference between the name Tara and the informal goodbye "ta-ra"?

The given name Tara derives from the Hill of Tara in Ireland or from Sanskrit (referring to a Buddhist deity), while "ta-ra" is an informal British interjection meaning goodbye, unrelated in origin. Context makes the distinction obvious — one is a person's name, the other a casual farewell.

Where does the name Tara come from?

As a given name, Tara most often derives from the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland, traditionally the seat of the ancient Irish kings, and became popular as a personal name in the 20th century. A separate strand of the name comes from Sanskrit, referring to Tara, a female Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism known as the "mother of liberation."

Is Tara used as a male or female name?

Tara is used mainly as a female given name, drawn from either the Irish place name or the Sanskrit Buddhist figure, though it also exists as a male given name in some traditions and as a surname.

What is significant about the Hill of Tara?

The Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland, was traditionally regarded as the seat of the ancient Irish kings, and it has lent its name to a nearby settlement and to many places around the world named after it. It remains an important historical and symbolic site in Irish heritage.

Featured in

Vocabulary lists that include Tara:

Words with Celtic origins Words that end with A

People also searched

hello bye goodbye cheers farewell greeting parting cheerio