Tara

Where the name comes from

• Irish (Gaelic)
  Origin uncertain. The name comes from the Hill of Tara in Ireland. Sources disagree on what the hill's name means. One older Irish place-name guide says it means a high place with a wide view. Britannica says it means "place of assembly."
  Teamhair (older Teamur), made into English as Tara
  As a first name, Tara comes from the place name. The Hill of Tara is a low hill in County Meath. Tradition calls it the seat of the high kings of Ireland. People were burying their dead and meeting there about 5,000 years ago.
• Sanskrit
  Name of the goddess Tara, a Buddhist savior figure. The name is popularly said to mean "star."
  Tārā
  This is a separate name that happens to share the spelling. It has no link to the Irish place name. It is used in South Asia and in Buddhist communities.

Tara across traditions

• Irish history and legend. The Hill of Tara was the traditional seat of Ireland's high kings. Most of its large earthworks probably date from about 1,500 to 2,000 years ago, when Uí Néill kings ruled from there. The kings seem to have left it about 1,500 years ago.
• Buddhism. Tara is a Buddhist savior-goddess with many forms. She is widely loved in Nepal, Tibet and Mongolia. She is a caring goddess who helps people "cross to the other shore." She also protects travelers.
• Hinduism. Hindus also honor a goddess named Tara. Britannica notes that the Buddhist Tara is often identified with the goddess Durga.
• American popular culture. Tara is the name of the O'Hara family plantation in Gone with the Wind (novel 1936, film 1939). In the US, the name was most popular in the 1970s.

Who carried it

• Tara Lipinski (Born 1982): American figure skater. She won Olympic gold in women's singles in 1998.

Forms in other languages

Tarah, Tarra

Tara in letter-number systems

Hebrew, Greek and other traditions gave every letter a number, and read meaning into the totals. These are the counts, computed; the readings are inside the Innerverse.