Kara (name)

Kara is both a given name and a surname with various, unrelated origins in various cultures. As an English name, it is a spelling variant of the Italian endearment cara, meaning beloved, or the Irish word cara, meaning friend, or a hypocorism for the name Caroline. It was popularized in the 20th century by the DC Comics superheroine Kara Zor-El.

Notable people with the name include:

Given name

 * Kara Kennedy Allen (1960–2011), professional board member and a television producer
 * Kara Arslan (r. 1144–1174 CE), Turkic rulers
 * Kara Bajema (born 1998), American volleyball player
 * Kara Brock (born 1974), American actress
 * Kara Mahmud Bushati (1749–1796), noble of the Bushati family
 * Kara Cooney, American Egyptologist, archaeologist, professor
 * Kara Crane (fl. 2006–present) American actress
 * Kara David (born 1973), Filipina broadcast journalist and television host
 * Kara DioGuardi (born 1970), American singer-songwriter
 * Kara Drew, known as Cherry (American wrestler) (born 1975), American professional wrestler, manager, and former WWE Diva
 * Kara Eaker (born 2002), American artistic gymnast
 * Kara Edwards (born 1977), American voice actress
 * Kara Fatma (1888–1955), Turkish heroine
 * Kara Goldin (born 1967/68), American businesswoman
 * Kara Goucher (born 1978), American long-distance runner
 * Kara Grainger, Australian soul blues and roots rock singer-songwriter
 * Kara Hayward (born 1998), American actress
 * Kara Henderson (born 1973), American sports media personality
 * Kara Hultgreen (1965–1994), American aviator
 * Kara Karaev (1918–1982), Azerbaijani composer
 * Kara Jackson ,American poet, singer, and songwriter
 * Kara Kennedy (1960–2011), American corporate director and television producer
 * Kara Killmer (born 1988), American actress
 * Kara Laricks, (born 1973) American fashion designer
 * Kara Lawson (born 1981), American basketball coach and player
 * Kara Lindsay (born 1985), American theatre actress
 * Kara Lord (born 1988), Miss Guyana Universe 2011
 * Kara Mbodj (born 1989), Senegalese footballer
 * Kara Monaco (born 1983), Playboy model
 * Kara Ahmed Pasha (died 1555), Ottoman statesman of Albanian origin
 * Kara Mustafa Pasha (1634/5–1683), Ottoman military leader
 * Kara Neumann case, in which parents of a sick child treated her with only prayer, resulting in the child's death in 2008
 * Kara Nova (active since 2011), American pole acrobat
 * Kara Yülük Osman, Turkish name of Qara Osman (before 1400–1435), Turkish ruler
 * Kara Ro (born 1975), Canadian boxer
 * Kara Ross (born 1966/1967), American jewelry designer
 * Kara Saun
 * Kara Scott, Canadian British TV personality, journalist and poker player
 * Kara Wagner Sherer, American Episcopal priest
 * Kara Swisher (born 1962), American journalist
 * Kara Taitz (born 1981), American actress
 * Kára Temple (born 1991), American beauty queen
 * Kara Tointon (born 1983), English actress
 * Kara Vallow, American television animation producer
 * Kara Wai (born 1960), Hong Kong actress
 * Kara Walker (born 1969), contemporary African-American artist
 * Kara Wilson (born 1944), Scottish actress
 * Kara Winger (born 1986), American track and field athlete
 * Kara Wolters (born 1975), American basketball player
 * Kara Zediker, American actress

Middle name

 * Deborah Kara Unger (born 1966), Canadian actress

Surname

 * Abir Kara (born 1983), Israeli businessman and politician
 * Anksa Kara (born 1985), Cameroonian-born actress
 * Ayoob Kara (born 1955), Druze Israeli politician
 * Aytaç Kara (born 1993), Turkish footballer
 * Burcu Kara (born 1980), Turkish actress
 * Danae Kara (born 1953), Greek classical concert pianist
 * Ercan Kara (born 1996), Austrian footballer
 * Fatma Kara (born 1991), Turkish footballer
 * Handan Kara (1939–2017), Turkish classical music singer
 * Joseph Kara, also known as Mahari Kara, (c.1065 – c.1135), French Bible exegete
 * Kai Kara-France (born 1993), New Zealand mixed martial artist
 * Miriam Kara (born 1938), Israeli Olympic gymnast
 * Nader Kara (born 1980), Libyan footballer
 * Patricia Kara (born 1972), American entertainer
 * Princess Kara (born 2000), Nigerian discus thrower
 * Rasim Kara (born 1950), Turkish footballer
 * Theodore Kara (1916–1944), American featherweight boxer
 * Sergey Kara-Murza (born 1939), Russian chemist, historian, political philosopher and sociologist
 * Vladimir Kara-Murza (born 1981), Russian politician
 * Vladimir Kara-Murza Sr. (1959–2019), Russian journalist and TV host
 * Anel Karabeg (born 1962), Bosnian footballer
 * Osman Karabegović (1911-1996), Bosnian politician

Mythical or fictional characters

 * Kára, a valkyrie in Norse mythology
 * Supergirl's original Kryptonian name in the comics is Kara Zor-El, and in some of the more recent adaptations of the character she uses "Kara" in her civilian life as well:
 * On the Smallville TV series she was Kara Kent.
 * On Superman: The Animated Series she's not Kryptonian but is still named Kara (In-Ze).
 * Her comic-book alternate-universe counterpart from Earth-2, Power Girl, is Kara Zor-L.
 * On the CW Supergirl series her civilian name is Kara Danvers.
 * Kara Ben Nemsi, in the works of German writer Karl May
 * Kara Milovy, Bond girl from The Living Daylights
 * Kara Thrace, in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica franchise
 * Kara, the Jungle Princess, an Exciting Comics character
 * Kara Cupper, a child character in Shining Time Station
 * Kara, one of the three android protagonists of the videogame Detroit: Become Human
 * Kara, a character Susan Strong's real name in the Adventure Time