Zara is a feminine given name.
It is the English form of the name Zaïre, the central character of Voltaire's 1732 play Zaïre (The Tragedy of Zara). Voltaire may have been influenced by the Arabic name Zahra.
Its popularity may be influenced by the naming of Princess Anne's daughter Zara Phillips in 1981, and the Spanish fashion store Zara.
Another derivation, unrelated to the above, is the Bulgarian name Zara (Зара) which is a diminutive of Zaharina or Zaharinka.
(Text) CC BY-SA