Ira is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ira means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ira across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ira has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ira is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “watchful”. A biblical name from Hebrew.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 62,535 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 534 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 3 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 12 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ira per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1947 (968/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2025 (57/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2025 (6/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2025 (3/yr).
Ira has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1947, when it ranked #447 nationally (given to 968 babies that year).
Aria · Arya · Ora · Ari · Era · Yara · Orah · Aura
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