| Amara | Ifeoma | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | grace | Good thing |
| Origin | igbo | igbo |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | uh-MAR-uh | ee-feh-OH-mah |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1961 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (2,630) | 1999 (17) |
| In 2025 | 2,630 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Amara | Ifeoma |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 13,101 | 33 |
| 2010s | 9,418 | 61 |
| 2000s | 4,294 | 86 |
| 1990s | 1,402 | 118 |
| 1980s | 523 | 77 |
| 1970s | 214 | 27 |
| 1960s | 30 | 0 |
In Igbo (Nigeria) 'amara' means 'grace', a short form of names like Amarachi ('God's grace'). The same form appears elsewhere with other senses (Sanskrit 'amara', immortal; a poetic Latin/Italian echo of 'love'), but the best-attested meaning is the Igbo 'grace'.
Igbo, 'good thing' or 'good things,' from ife ('thing') + oma ('good'); understood as good fortune or something good and beautiful. Chiefly feminine.
Amara is more popular than Ifeoma today: about 2,630 US babies were given the name Amara in 2025, compared with 0 named Ifeoma.
Amara means grace (igbo origin), while Ifeoma means Good thing (igbo origin).
In US records, Amara first appears in 1961 and Ifeoma in 0, so Ifeoma has the longer recorded history.