Amara has more than one root: in the Igbo language of Nigeria it means "grace", as in Amarachi, "God's grace", while in Sanskrit amara means "immortal" and in Italian amara means "bitter". Most American parents choose it for its sound and for the Igbo meaning, and it fits the trend toward soft, vowel-rich names. Amara ranked number 797 in 2000 and number 459 in 2015, then climbed steadily to number 98 in 2025, its first year inside the top 100.