Amara

Amara is a name recently discovered by African-Americans; the name comes from Nigeria – it means “grace, mercy, kindness” in the native Igbo language. Naming one’s baby girl Amara is akin to calling her Grace in the English language; Carissa in the Latin language or Hannah/Anna from the Hebrew language (all of which mean “grace, favor”, too). Amara is the newest of these “graceful” and “kind” names, and a lovely way to celebrate one’s African heritage. Amara is also a name used among Spanish speakers probably with reference to the Latin verb “amare” meaning “to love” (although let it be known that “amara” is both the Latin and Italian word for “bitter” – see Mara). Many people (erroneously) seem to think that Amara comes from Greek language meaning “eternal, immortal, undying” – although we uncovered zero evidence to support this claim. However, “Amar” (अमर) in Hindi means “immortal”, therefore Amara could be considered the female equivalent of Amar. Whatever meaning you want to ascribe to your daughter’s name, Amara is a lovely choice. The name is freshly exotic and understatedly pretty.