Tara

Tara is a name with multiple independent origins. In Sanskrit it derives from the root meaning star or to cross over, and in Hindu and Buddhist tradition Tara is a goddess of compassion and protection, particularly venerated in Tibetan Buddhism. In Irish it comes from the place name Teamhair, referring to the Hill of Tara in County Meath, a sacred site and ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland, and its use as a personal name was greatly popularized by Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind, in which Tara is the name of the O'Hara family plantation. Variants and related forms include Tara, Taara, and Taaraa in South Asian traditions, and the name shares its celestial sense with Taraka and Tarani.