Barbara

Did you know?

A few things about Barbara you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Barbara

Barbara Stanwyck

American actress (1907–1990)

Choose Barbara and your child shares a first name with Barbara Stanwyck, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Barbara, like who?” Barbara Stanwyck's Wikipedia article is available in 84 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Barbara Stanwyck on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 6,086 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Barbara, 264 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Barbara would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryBarbara has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Barbaras, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1944, when it ranked #2. Today it's #968, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendBarbara has slipped 82 places over the last five years and now sits at #968. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedBarbara is most popular in Pennsylvania, where it ranks #414, followed by Kentucky (#443) and Iowa (#492). It's in the top 1,000 in 11 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Greek, Barbara means “foreign woman”. Our records link it to English, Greek and Latin roots.

About the name Barbara

Barbara is a girl name of English, Greek and Latin origin meaning “foreign woman”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with B and ending in “-ara”. US birth records list Barbara for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1944, when it ranked #2 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #968, with 264 babies.

Origin:English namesGreek namesLatin names