Meaning: Its source is a Sanskrit expression meaning "Radiance."

Languages: This boy's name is used in Hindi.

Meaning: Its source is a Gaelic expression meaning "Hill."

Languages: This girl's name is used in English, Hindi and Irish Gaelic.

Compound Forms: Sheatara, Taralee, Tarali, Taralyn, Tararora, Tarranicka, Taryn and Terin

Alternative Spellings: Tarah, Tarra, Tarrah and Tareh

Variant Forms: Tahra, Taira, Tairra, Taraea, Tarai, Tarasa, Tarasha, Taraya, Tarha, Tari, Taria, Tarika, Tarila, Tarilyn, Taris, Tarisa, Tarise, Tarisha, Tarissa, Tarita, Tarreara, Taryn, Tayra, Tera and Terra

Popularity: The name Tara ranked 286th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 203rd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name first made its appearance on state popularity lists before 1993, but is becoming less commonly used. In some cases, it has fallen off the lists altogether.

Narrative: Its Hindi form is derived from a Sanskrit expression meaning ''Star.'' Its European usage derives from a Gaelic place name meaning ''hill.''

The high kings of Ireland resided in a place called Tara in Meath, and it is safe to suppose that Margaret Mitchell had this in mind when she named the fictional home of Scarlett O'Hara in her 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. That book influenced the use of several names, including Ashley and Scarlett and Rhett.