Elara comes from Greek mythology, where Elara was a lover of Zeus and the mother of the giant Tityos; the name is of uncertain meaning. Since its discovery in 1905 one of Jupiter's moons has also carried the name, so today it is mostly read as a "celestial" or "moon" name alongside Luna and Nova. Elara rose from number 4428 in 2015 to number 942 among girls' names in 2025, its first year in the US top 1000.