girl's name
Barbara
BAR-bra
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 1,472,524
the United States
#969
2025 births
Barbara is a girl's name from the Greek for foreign or strange, the feminine of the word that gives us barbarian. It is marked stable rather than falling in our data, which sets it apart from almost every other name of its generation.
- Barbara is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1947, when 48,889 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 12,558 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Barbara over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,820 |
| 1890s | 2,783 |
| 1900s | 3,999 |
| 1910s | 23,736 |
| 1920s | 97,471 |
| 1930s | 297,608 |
| 1940s | 426,429 |
| 1950s | 346,415 |
| 1960s | 160,276 |
| 1970s | 42,399 |
| 1980s | 19,252 |
| 1990s | 8,885 |
| 2000s | 4,730 |
| 2010s | 3,263 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,765 |
What Barbara means
Barbara means foreign or strange. The Greek original describes someone who does not speak your language, so the sense is unfamiliar rather than uncivilized — the harsher reading is a later development.
Where Barbara comes from
Barbara is the feminine of the Greek barbaros, meaning foreign, and the word is imitative: to a Greek ear, other languages sounded like bar-bar. It carried no strong insult at first, marking only that someone was not a Greek speaker, and hardened into barbarian much later. Saint Barbara, said to have been locked in a tower by her father and killed for her faith, became one of the most widely venerated medieval saints and the patron of miners, gunners and anyone at risk of sudden death — which is why her name spread far beyond Greek-speaking regions. Her feast was removed from the general Roman calendar in 1969 because the historical evidence for her is thin, though her cult continues.
Barbara in use
Barbara peaked in the United States in 1947, when 48,889 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling — unusual among names of this cohort, most of which are still declining. It now ranks 969th in the United States on 264 births, 1081st in France and 2585th in England and Wales, across 1,472,524 lifetime births. Being stable at this point in a name's life usually signals that it has reached a floor of steady use rather than continuing to fade.
How popular is Barbara?
In 2025, Barbara was given to 264 babies in the United States, ranking #969 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Barbara is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Barbara
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Barbara also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Barbara over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Barbara
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Barbara in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Barbara
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Barbara — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Barbara
What does the name Barbara mean?
Foreign or strange, from the Greek barbaros — originally just someone who did not speak Greek.
Is Barbara related to barbarian?
Yes, directly. Both come from barbaros, which imitated the sound of unfamiliar speech.
Is Barbara still used?
It ranks 969th in the United States and our data marks it stable rather than falling, unlike most names of its era.
Who was Saint Barbara?
A martyr said to have been imprisoned in a tower by her father, and patron of miners and gunners. Her feast was removed from the general calendar in 1969.
How popular is the name Barbara?
In 2025, Barbara was given to 264 babies in the United States, ranking #969 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Barbara a girl's or a boy's name?
Barbara is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Barbara?
Barbara has 3 syllables.
When was Barbara most popular?
Barbara peaked in 1947, when 48,889 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Barbara?
Barbara is usually shortened to Barb, Babs and Barbie.
Is Barbara a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Barbara currently ranks #969 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.