Kiara is a modern name with two possible roots: the Italian Chiara, meaning "clear" or "bright", and the Irish Ciara, "dark", so it covers both ends of the spectrum. The 1998 film The Lion King II: Simba's Pride gave the name to Simba's daughter and sent it up the charts. Kiara peaked at number 130 among US girls' names in 2000, dipped to number 398 in 2015 and has climbed again to number 229 in 2025.