Kara is a spelling of Cara, the Italian word for "beloved" or "dear"; some sources add the Irish cara, "friend", and the Old Norse Kára from the Valkyrie legends. In the United States it became popular in the 1970s and 1980s, and the Supergirl character Kara Danvers keeps it current. Kara ranked number 192 in 2000 and has slipped year by year to number 1075 in 2025, its first year outside the top 1000.