Barbary

Latin, English, French

"foreign woman"

Barbary Origin and Meaning

The name Barbary is a girl's name meaning "foreign woman".

In Medieval England, Barbary was a common given name and short form of Barbara. Today it exists as a surname, either derived from Barbara itself, or in French, from the Occitan barbari, meaning "barbarian."

The Barbary Coast historically referred to the coastline of modern-day Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Barbary was used as a baby name by enslaved people from the region.