Amara

Origin and meaning of Amara

Amara has two unrelated origins: Igbo àmàrà, “grace”, and the Iberian feminine of Amaro, whose etymology is uncertain.

• Igbo

  àmàrà, “grace”. The ordinary word, used in Nigeria.

• Portuguese and Spanish

  Feminine of Amaro. Uncertain origin: perhaps Latin amarus, “bitter”, perhaps Visigothic Amalric.

Worth starting with what this name is NOT. A reading circulates online — “eternal”, “imperishable grace” — presented as Arabic. Reference works record no Arabic Amara, and this site listed it that way until 21/09, when the entry was corrected. If someone tells you Amara is Arabic, ask for the source.

The Igbo origin is solid and direct: àmàrà means grace. Igbo is spoken by tens of millions in southeastern Nigeria, and the diaspora carried the name worldwide. In a family of Nigerian origin, Amara is that word, with nothing in between.

The Iberian one is murkier, and the reference work says so. Amara is the feminine of Amaro, used in Galician, Portuguese and Spanish, of unestablished etymology. The two hypotheses are Latin amarus, “bitter”, and Visigothic Amalric — Germanic, the same family as Amalric and Emmerich. Neither is proven.

Two different families arrived at the same spelling by paths that never crossed, as with Yara and Eliana. The story told to the child later changes with the origin the family adopts, and it is worth knowing there are two.

Which surnames go well with Amara?

We calculate how Amara sounds next to the 6 most common surnames in the English-speaking world. The score runs from 0 to 100 and weighs length contrast, the cadence of the pair and cacophony at the join — a row only gets a comment when there is something specific to point out.

Your surname is not on the list? Type it into the checker above and the score appears at once, with the reason.

Numerology of the name Amara

Every letter in Amara carries a value. Added up, they reveal three numbers describing talents, motivations and the impression the name makes.

Numerology is a symbolic, cultural reading: fun and inspiration, not science.

Sweet nicknames for Amara

Affectionate ways to call Amara every day.