| Tara | Anika | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | star | brilliance, splendour; epithet of Durga |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | TAH-rah | uh-NEE-kah |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1939 | 1961 |
| Peak year | 1972 (7,234) | 2006 (642) |
| In 2025 | 322 | 269 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Tara | Anika |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,432 | 1,895 |
| 2010s | 2,911 | 5,038 |
| 2000s | 8,572 | 5,591 |
| 1990s | 23,370 | 2,083 |
| 1980s | 56,338 | 949 |
| 1970s | 65,072 | 1,222 |
| 1960s | 14,543 | 26 |
| 1950s | 3,175 | 0 |
| 1940s | 392 | 0 |
| 1930s | 7 | 0 |
From Sanskrit tara (तारा), 'star'; also the name of a goddess in Hindu and Buddhist tradition. Cross-cultural: Tara is independently an Irish name (the Hill of Tara).
From Sanskrit anika (अनीक), 'splendour, brilliance; also a battle array or army'; used as an epithet of Goddess Durga. Cross-cultural: Anika is independently a Germanic/Scandinavian diminutive of Anna.
Tara is more popular than Anika today: about 322 US babies were given the name Tara in 2025, compared with 269 named Anika.
Tara means star (sanskrit origin), while Anika means brilliance, splendour; epithet of Durga (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Tara first appears in 1939 and Anika in 1961, so Tara has the longer recorded history.