Zara can be derived from multiple sources. It can be derived from the Arabic name Zahra, meaning "brilliant" or "bright". It is also a diminutive of Zaharina, a Bulgarian feminine form of the name Zechariah, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Zekharyah (זְ ַכ ְריָה), meaning "Yahweh remembers". It was popularised in England when Princess Anne used the name for her daughter, born in 1981. The name peaked in popularity in 2019.