| Chioma | Amara | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Good God / good fortune | grace |
| Origin | igbo | igbo |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | chee-OH-mah | uh-MAR-uh |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1961 |
| Peak year | 1997 (40) | 2025 (2,630) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 2,630 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Chioma | Amara |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 119 | 13,101 |
| 2010s | 196 | 9,418 |
| 2000s | 277 | 4,294 |
| 1990s | 234 | 1,402 |
| 1980s | 139 | 523 |
| 1970s | 33 | 214 |
| 1960s | 0 | 30 |
Igbo, 'good God' or 'good chi,' from Chi ('God, personal spirit') + oma ('good'), often understood as the blessing of a good personal destiny. Chiefly feminine.
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'.
Amara is more popular than Chioma today: about 2,630 US babies were given the name Amara in 2025, compared with 0 named Chioma.
Chioma means Good God / good fortune (igbo origin), while Amara means grace (igbo origin).
In US records, Chioma first appears in 0 and Amara in 1961, so Chioma has the longer recorded history.