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. As a Hebrew name it may mean "pearl of wisdom" or "wisdom and compassion", although in Modern Hebrew dara is part of the verb "to live", and in Aramaic it means "pearl", "father-of-pearl" or "marble".
In Cambodian Khmer, Dara is a name for a boy or a girl meaning "star". 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". But in Indonesian, Dara means "girl", "young woman", or "virgin".
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 Dara, 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".
Dara 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 to me". The name is borne by boys and girls.
Dara is also a Surname of Dalits in South India, particularly the State of Andhra Pradesh. The Surname is mostly given to the Scheduled Castes, who were considered untouchables by the caste Hindus in India.