| Tara | Reva | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | star | the Narmada river |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | TAH-rah | RAY-vah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1939 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1972 (7,234) | 1921 (351) |
| In 2025 | 322 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Tara | Reva |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,432 | 393 |
| 2010s | 2,911 | 571 |
| 2000s | 8,572 | 423 |
| 1990s | 23,370 | 517 |
| 1980s | 56,338 | 906 |
| 1970s | 65,072 | 503 |
| 1960s | 14,543 | 988 |
| 1950s | 3,175 | 1,582 |
| 1940s | 392 | 1,795 |
| 1930s | 7 | 2,379 |
| 1920s | 0 | 3,108 |
| 1910s | 0 | 2,067 |
| 1900s | 0 | 593 |
| 1890s | 0 | 212 |
| 1880s | 0 | 11 |
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 reva (रेवा), an ancient name of the sacred Narmada river, connoting flowing water. Well established.
Tara is more popular than Reva today: about 322 US babies were given the name Tara in 2025, compared with 0 named Reva.
Tara means star (sanskrit origin), while Reva means the Narmada river (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Tara first appears in 1939 and Reva in 0, so Reva has the longer recorded history.