Barbara
Top 1000
About Barbara
Barbara is back and among the fastest-rising names of recent years! Credit goes to 2023's breakout movie Barbie, which gave a new stylish feel to the classic Barbara and set it up to rank alongside clunky, retro choices like Deborah, Marjorie, Marilyn, and Dorothy.
Rooted in ancient Greek and ranking in the Top 10 in the US throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, Barbara has the same root as the word barbarian, meaning stranger or foreigner. There is the popular third century St. Barbara, who was reputed to have been imprisoned in a tower and may have been the inspiration for Rapunzel. She became the patron of architects, stonemasons, fortifications, and geologists, and protects against fire and lightning.
the name has appeared in works by Dickens, Ellen Wood, and Thackeray and, most notably, as the idealistic protagonist of the George Bernard Shaw play Major Barbara. Noteworthy bearers include real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, actress Barbara Stanwyck (born Ruby), novelist Barbara Pym, TV's Barbara Walters, and "My Name is Barbra" Streisand. Barbara Gordon was the original Batgirl in the comic books.
And the of course there's Barbie, though today, Bebe, Bobbie, or even Babs might make a cuter retro nickname.
Pronounced BAR-buh-ruh.
As of October 2026, Barbara ranked #968 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2 in 1943, Nameberry popularity #848.
Editor: Pamela Redmond
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #849 | 325 | 181.9 |
| 2015 | #853 | 327 | 183.2 |
| 2016 | #855 | 329 | 185.7 |
| 2017 | #894 | 301 | 174.3 |
| 2018 | #920 | 291 | 171.1 |
| 2019 | #922 | 287 | 171 |
| 2020 | #887 | 300 | 185.6 |
| 2021 | #904 | 299 | 182.2 |
| 2022 | #966 | 276 | 168.3 |
| 2023 | #876 | 307 | 191.3 |
| 2024 | #860 | 313 | 193.2 |
| 2025 | #968 | 264 | 164.3 |
World rankings
Similar names
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Barbara on lists
Famous Barbaras
- Saint Barbara
3rd century martyr
- Barbara of Portugal
Queen consort of Ferdinand VI of Spain
- Barbara of Austria
Duchess consort of Alfonso II d'Este of Ferrara
- Barbara Pierce Bush
former U.S. First Lady
- Barbara Pierce Bush Coyne
daughter of former US President George W. Bush and twin of Jenna Bush Hager
- Barbara Levy Boxer
U.S. Senator from California
- Barbara Ann Mikulski
U.S. Senator from Maryland
- Barbara Walters
American broadcast journalist
- Barbara Luddy
American actress
- Barbara Stanwyck (born Ruby Catherine Stevens)
American actress
- Eleanor "Barbara" McClintock
American cytogeneticist and Nobel Prize winner
- (Mary) Barbara (Hamilton) Cartland
English novelist
- Barbara Jean (Morehead) Eden
American actress
- Barbara Schett Eagle
Austrian tennis player
- Barbara Rittner
German tennis player
- Barbara Woolworth Hutton
American heiress
- Barbara Palvin
Hungarian fashion model
- Barbara Jo Walker
Miss America 1947
- Bárbara Micheline do Monte Barbosa
Brazilian football player
- Barbara Fialho
Brazilian model
- Barbara Ferreira
American model
- Barbara Moore
American Model Playboy Playmate of the Month for December 1992,
- Barbara Baldieri
American actress
Barbara in pop culture
- Barbara Millicent "Barbie" Roberts
fashion doll made by Mattel
- Barbara Gordon aka Oracle and Batgirl
character in the "Batman" series
- Barbara Eileen Kean Gordon
mother of Barbara Gordon; wife of Commissioner Gordon
- Barbara Fazlinovic
character in Bosnian TV's "The Crazy, Confused & Normal"
- Barbara Brownstein
character on TV's "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody"
- Barbara Wright
companion on TV's "Doctor Who" 1963,65
- Barbara Covett
character from "Notes on a Scandal"
- Barbara Barga
character from "SS,GB"
- Barbara Gilbert
main character on TV's "Call the Midwife"
- Barbara "Bebe" Stevens
character in "South Park"
- Barbara "Bobbi" Morse
character in Marvel comics and "Agents of SHIELD"
- Barbara "Barb" Holland
character in Netflix's Stranger Things
- Barbara Lake
character in the Netflix series "Trollhunters"
- "Barbara Ann
" song by the Beach Boys
- "Barbara Allen
" folk ballad
- "Please Don't Ask About Barbara
" song by Bobby Vee
- Barbara "Barb" Azure Baird
character in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes