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Ira as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Ira

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The baby name Ira is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced EYE-ruh (/ˈaɪrə/),EE-rah (/ˈiːrə/),ee-RAH (/iˈra/).

Ira is English, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Slavic in Origin.

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: English, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Slavic
Pronunciation: EYE-ruh (/ˈaɪrə/),EE-rah (/ˈiːrə/),ee-RAH (/iˈra/)

What is the meaning of the name Ira ?

The baby name Ira is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced EYE-ruh (/ˈaɪrə/),EE-rah (/ˈiːrə/),ee-RAH (/iˈra/).

Ira is English, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Slavic in Origin.

Ira blends several traditions: in Hebrew it comes from the Bible (עירא), borne by attendants of King David, and is usually interpreted as "watchful, vigilant," from a root meaning "to be awake." In South Asia it is an independent Sanskrit name, often linked to Ila and to the goddess Saraswati, carrying senses such as "earth," "speech," or "learning." In Slavic usage, Ira functions as a short form of Irina, ultimately from Greek Eirene, "peace."

Used in English since the 1700s, Ira enjoyed strong popularity for American boys in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, waned midcentury, and has lately reappeared as a crisp, unisex choice. In India it is popular for girls; in Russia and Ukraine it's a common familiar form of Irina. Variants and related forms include Irah, Iraa, Ila, Irina/Irini/Irène, and the diminutives Ira or Irochka in Slavic usage.

Ira has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Ira

Ira von Fürstenberg Actor · Born 1940 · Italy Ira von Fürstenberg is an Italian socialite and actress, known for her roles in films like 'Matchless' and 'Five Dolls for an August Moon'. Born in 1940, she became a prominent figure in European cinema during the 1960s and 1970s.

Celebrity babies named Ira

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Ira Khan Reena Dutta film producer ★★★★★ Aamir Khan film director ★★★★★

Ira – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
BF Girls 0 #17 1 315
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
BN 0 #29 4 2,297
MD 0 #31 4 434
BI Girls 0 #33 1 726
ID 0 #33 7 2,238
MV Girls 0 #34 2 2,021
TM Girls 0 #35 1 574
EE 0 #36 2 1,051
GE 0 #37 8 997
ID Girls 0 #39 61 3,319
AZ 0 #43 1 706
BI Boys 0 #44 1 917
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
GE Girls 0 #59 51 1,564
AL 0 #60 16 2,372
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
MD Girls 0 #62 32 865
IN 0 #71 1 2,963
AZ Girls 0 #72 4 1,051
AF 0 #76 1 1,883
BN Girls 0 #76 31 5,459
SI 0 #78 3 1,612
BG 0 #80 3 1,799
CN 0 #84 3 3,857
RU Girls 0 #84 2,111 11,913
LT 0 #88 1 949
KZ 0 #90 5 1,452
AF Girls 0 #94 1 2,402
TW 0 #100 4 4,523
PH 0 #102 9 5,607
QA 0 #104 3 7,011
GE Boys 0 #105 6 2,055
EE Girls 0 #106 33 1,888
KW 0 #119 3 5,216
RU 0 #120 76 3,641
CY Girls 0 #121 5 3,755
IL Girls 0 #123 1,193 11,648
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
GR 0 #130 6 3,911
AZ Boys 0 #131 1 1,400
CY Boys 0 #131 1 3,473
Switzerland Girls 2024 #133 3 1,786
ID Boys 0 #134 2 4,130
AL Girls 0 #135 92 4,141
BN Boys 0 #135 5 6,332
RS Girls 0 #135 3 1,651
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
PS 0 #146 73 5,692
MT Girls 0 #148 6 3,773
PS Girls 0 #149 696 10,981
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
CR 0 #160 6 5,526
IL 0 #162 120 6,291
HR 0 #169 11 2,081
Sweden Girls 2022 #171 9 1,568
LT Girls 0 #172 23 1,904
SI Girls 0 #172 6 2,769
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
AE 0 #180 8 10,220
CZ 0 #181 6 3,154
Finland Girls 0 #183 331 1,368
Sweden Boys 2014 #185 2 1,448
LU Girls 0 #187 4 4,850
KZ Girls 0 #188 166 5,862
MY Girls 0 #190 1,861 24,821
HR Girls 0 #192 111 3,687
GR Girls 0 #197 46 6,293
DK 0 #201 6 5,198
BG Girls 0 #209 15 3,559
PL 0 #209 4 2,600
TW Girls 0 #212 65 8,139
AO Girls 0 #213 5 4,575
BD 0 #213 15 5,992
HU Girls 0 #221 5 3,308
Finland 0 #225 84 830
IR 0 #226 6 4,221
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
NA Girls 0 #235 3 7,146
JP Girls 0 #243 9 6,592
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
Canada Girls 2024 #251 35 2,795
SG 0 #251 19 11,010
MY 0 #254 77 12,352
TW Boys 0 #255 2 7,111
EC Girls 0 #257 2 3,650
HR Boys 0 #258 2 3,997
MO Girls 0 #258 6 7,056
PL Girls 0 #264 94 5,096
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
Finland Girls 2026 #274 1,186 3,895
Canada Boys 2024 #275 32 2,588
CZ Girls 0 #287 56 5,378
JM Boys 0 #290 4 6,876
QA Girls 0 #291 26 15,378
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
AL Boys 0 #301 3 5,122
JP Boys 0 #301 3 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #303 3 6,530
SA 0 #308 5 10,560
DK Girls 0 #323 7 7,429
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
PL Boys 0 #335 6 6,459
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
GT 0 #336 3 5,948
JO Girls 0 #337 3 7,570
BD Girls 0 #343 44 8,413
HK 0 #350 8 8,483
PH Girls 0 #351 40 13,098
CN Girls 0 #352 8 8,829
BR 0 #358 3 5,969
SD Girls 0 #358 1 7,678
MU Girls 0 #360 3 8,539
GH Boys 0 #361 1 8,138
OM Girls 0 #363 34 15,987
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
PH Boys 0 #369 15 11,440
SG Girls 0 #369 225 18,916
JO Boys 0 #386 4 7,057
YE 0 #396 3 8,639
Austria Girls 0 #397 24 1,885
France Girls 2018 #398 5 3,265
Germany 0 #403 35 2,542
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
CL 0 #431 4 6,867
Spain 0 #432 21 2,326
PT Girls 0 #439 13 7,952
MX 0 #440 6 8,339
AE Girls 0 #460 94 20,968
PA Girls 0 #461 21 9,861
IR Girls 0 #462 69 8,334
ZA 0 #472 3 14,421
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
RU Boys 0 #484 22 12,621
KW Girls 0 #485 31 19,177
GT Boys 0 #495 5 7,625
Germany Girls 0 #498 406 4,949
CR Boys 0 #502 9 10,188
PA Boys 0 #502 4 9,305
CO 0 #510 1 7,768
HK Boys 0 #518 10 12,905
PS Boys 0 #518 31 10,655
CR Girls 0 #523 10 11,342
IQ Girls 0 #524 2 11,303
BH 0 #527 27 17,937
UY Girls 0 #529 8 6,731
HK Girls 0 #535 81 16,104
GT Girls 0 #536 6 7,500
IL Boys 0 #557 51 10,983
CM Girls 0 #559 2 11,671
IR Boys 0 #560 6 10,162
CM Boys 0 #574 2 12,054
IN Girls 0 #587 45 13,121
BD Boys 0 #599 7 10,045
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
AR Girls 0 #628 3 8,289
IQ Boys 0 #657 11 13,071
United States Boys 2024 #664 230 7,044
IT 0 #668 47 4,183
Finland Boys 2026 #678 5 3,552
SG Boys 0 #684 14 17,960
LB 0 #687 4 13,263
CL Boys 0 #697 4 13,390
QA Boys 0 #740 4 18,093
SA Girls 0 #742 194 25,931
United States Girls 2024 #763 154 8,487
SY 0 #767 1 11,684
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
KW Boys 0 #805 2 18,755
IT Girls 0 #806 799 9,415
NL Girls 0 #811 145 5,933
Spain Girls 0 #815 169 5,561
TN 0 #818 12 13,765
NG Girls 0 #822 5 15,093
Spain Boys 0 #914 17 5,610
CL Girls 0 #915 1 14,098
OM Boys 0 #918 1 17,948
BR Girls 0 #923 19 12,708
EG Boys 0 #923 3 15,035
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
PE Girls 0 #929 15 14,861
EG Girls 0 #931 29 14,742
NG Boys 0 #937 15 16,906
NL Boys 0 #942 10 5,873
MX Boys 0 #968 15 16,355
CO Boys 0 #976 6 15,656
TR 0 #1,019 193 19,440
MY Boys 0 #1,024 88 25,439
IN Boys 0 #1,036 4 16,750
CO Girls 0 #1,060 19 16,140
MX Girls 0 #1,074 110 17,781
AE Boys 0 #1,083 10 22,615
MA 0 #1,103 26 20,986
ZA Girls 0 #1,113 29 25,928
DZ 0 #1,139 38 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,167 12 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,437 35 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,584 31 28,008

Ira is popular in 91 countries — most recent births per country:

Canada
United States
Switzerland
Sweden
Ireland

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People also ask about Ira

Ira is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Ira is a 2 syllable name, pronounced EYE-ruh (/ˈaɪrə/),EE-rah (/ˈiːrə/),ee-RAH (/iˈra/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Irah, Irā, Eera and Eira.
Across languages, Ira has these equivalents: Irina (Russian), Irene (Greek/English), Eira (similar spelling in Welsh).
Yes, very popular — Ira ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Ira ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Yes — 1 notable people named Ira are in our database, including Ira von Fürstenberg (Actor).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Ira for their child, including Reena Dutta and Aamir Khan.