Barbara

Latin

"foreign woman"

Barbara Origin and Meaning

The name Barbara is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "foreign woman".

Barbara is back! Among the fastest-rising names of 2023, Barbara came back from oblivion at the very bottom of the Top 1000, gaining nearly 100 places on the popularity list.

Credit 2023's breakout movie Barbie, which gave a new stylish feel to the classic Barbara. Rooted in ancient Greek and ranking in the Top 10 in the US throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, Barbara is now poised to become fashionable again for the next generation of babies.

The name 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.

Barbaras appear in works by Dickens 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.

Barbara Rank in US Top 1000

# 877 in the US

Barbara Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 547 on Nameberry

Barbara Popularity

• 877 US 2023
• 547 Nameberry 2024
• 889 England 2018
• 54 Portugal 2014
• 148 Mexico 2021
• 85 Hungary 2021
• 44 Poland 2023

20 Names Similar to Barbara

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Barbara.

• Linda
• Angela
• Brenda
• Sandra
• Beulah
• Carol
• Karen
• Cynthia
• Lisa
• Betty
• Tina
• Patricia
• Bebe
• Beverly
• Brittany
• Hilda
• Berenice
• Amanda
• Gail
• Betsy

Famous People Named Barbara

• 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