Dara is a name with more than one origin.
It is found in the Bible's Old Testament Books of Chronicles. Dara was a biblical descendant of Judah known for his wisdom. (The Bible. 1 Chronicles 2:6).
In Cambodian Khmer, Dara is a name for a boy or a girl meaning "star". In Hebrew Dara means compassion or pearl of wisdom. In Turkish and in Punjabi, Dara means "leader". In Persian Dara (Persian: دارا) means "wealthy" and is a boy's name. In the Swahili version Dara means "the beautiful one". In Irish Dara means "oak". But in Indonesian, Dara means "girl", "young woman", or "virgin".
Dara is a female name in Bulgaria and Macedonia. Its meaning directly derives from "dar", which means "gift" both in Bulgarian and Macedonian. This name stems from the more common male name Bojidar (or Bozhidar), and its female version Bojidara (or Bozhidara), both meaning "Gift of God".
Dara is also frequently used in Ireland (and the United States), as either a male or a female given name, and it also occurs as a surname. The spelling varies, with variations including Daire and Darragh. The Irish form is probably derived from doire, the Irish word for "oak tree", though as a surname it may be a version of the Irish name Mac Dubhdara. In Irish and Scottish Gaelic, dara means "second". It is also used in Scotland as an abbreviation for "Dragon Killer."
Dara means "Prosperous" or "Wealthy" in Persian. It is also the name of a male doll, and Dara and Sara are sold as "Iran's Islamic alternative to Ken and Barbie".
Dara is also a short form of Oluwadarasimi or Oluwadara, which in Yoruba Language (Southwestern Nigeria) means "God is good". The name is used for both boys and girls.