Inara

Ih-NAHR-uh

Arabic, Basque, mythology, "shining light, enlightenment; sunray; goddess"

"shining light, enlightenment; sunray; goddess"

Inara Origin and Meaning

The name Inara is a girl's name meaning "shining light, enlightenment; sunray; goddess".

Inara is an appealing choice with multiple origins, currently in the Top 500 in the UK and the Netherlands. Gentle looking but bright in feel, it is also on the rise in the US, possibly owing to its use in Joss Whedon's hit sci-fi series Firefly, featuring main character, Inara Serra.

On one hand, Inara is an Arabic name, deriving from the same roots as the more familiar Noor. Meaning "illumination" or "shining light", it is associated with enlightenment and bringing light to darkness. Similarly, in Basque it means "sunray" or "spark", but emerged as a feminine form of Inar.

Alternatively, it can be considered a mythological name, taken from Hittite mythology, in which Inara was the goddess of wild animals - equivalent to the Greek Artemis. In Latvia, it is sometimes used as an elaboration of Ina, while there is a possibility that some may be using it as a spelling variation on the rising star Ainara, meaning "swallow (bird)".

An all round intriguing name, Inara was given to around 180 girls in the US in 2023 and would make a choice that translates well into various languages and cultures.

Inara Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 874 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Inara

• 874 Nameberry 2025
• 293 Unique 2023
• 532 England 2023
• 154 Switzerland 2023

20 Names Similar to Inara

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Inara.

• Rhya
• Alara
• Cataleya
• Nayeli
• Alaïa
• Sarai
• Laelia
• Adalia
• Melia
• Inaya
• Ilaria
• Sena
• Kalila
• Soraya
• Adira
• Imara
• Adella
• Nara
• Adara
• Lelia

Famous People Named Inara

• Inara Maryland George American musician
• Inara Ibrahimova Azerbaijani volleyball player
• Ināra Mūrniece Latvian journalist and politician
• Inara Sattarova Uzbekistani rhythmic gymnast
• Ināra Tetereva Latvian philanthropist
• Princess Inaara Aga Khan German,born philanthropist

The name Inara in Pop Culture

• Inara Serra character from "Firefly" and "Serenity."
• In Hittite Hurrian mythology, Inara was the goddess of the wild animals of the steppe, equal to the Greek goddess Artemis.