Kara (name)

Kara is both a given name and a surname withvarious, 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.^[1]

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 American designer
Kara Scott Canadian British TV personality, journalist and poker player
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

References

^ Evans, Cleveland Kent (28 March 2021). "Cleveland Evans: Kara/Cara holds 'Supergirl' appeal". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2024.

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[1] Evans, Cleveland Kent (28 March 2021). "Cleveland Evans: Kara/Cara holds 'Supergirl' appeal". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2024.