Gender
Origin
- Greek
- Stranger
- English
- Latin
- Foreign woman, exotic; Barbara stems from barbus, meaning stranger. In Catholic custom, Saint Barbara is a protectress against fire and lightning. Barbie dolls are a household name throughout the world.
Syllables
3
Themes
- Exotic
Alternate Spellings and Variants of Barbara
Famous People
Journalist Barbara Walters, Singer Barbra Streisand, Author Barbara De Angelis, First Lady Barbara Bush
Popularity in the USA
- Boys: peak in 1942 (rank #478, 164 births); most recent 1993 (rank #8699, 5 births)
- Girls: peak in 1947 (rank #4, 48,791 births); most recent 2025 (rank #968, 264 births)
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | 264 |
| 2024 | – | 313 |
| 2023 | – | 307 |
| 2022 | – | 276 |
| 2021 | – | 299 |
| 2020 | – | 300 |
| 2019 | – | 287 |
| 2018 | – | 291 |
| 2017 | – | 301 |
| 2016 | – | 329 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in the USA (2025)
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), national baby names data (public domain). This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SSA. Data years: 1880 to 2025. Original data
Popularity in England and Wales
- Girls: peak in 2018 (rank #886, 42 births); most recent 2025 (rank #2439, 11 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2024 | 14 |
| 2023 | 22 |
| 2022 | 17 |
| 2021 | 23 |
| 2020 | 26 |
| 2019 | 32 |
| 2018 | 42 |
| 2017 | 27 |
| 2016 | 34 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in England and Wales (2025)
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Baby names in England and Wales. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1996 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in France
- Girls: peak in 1972 (rank #61, 1,475 births); most recent 2023 (rank #1183, 29 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 29 |
| 2022 | 36 |
| 2021 | 32 |
| 2020 | 26 |
| 2019 | 31 |
| 2018 | 44 |
| 2017 | 37 |
| 2016 | 32 |
| 2015 | 30 |
| 2014 | 39 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in France (2023)
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (last updated 8 July 2024), used under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0. Changes: names are shown in title case, and spellings that differ only by accents are counted together. Data years: 1900 to 2023. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Ireland
- Girls: peak in 1971 (rank #49, 172 births); most recent 2023 (rank #830, 3 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | – |
| 2024 | – |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2016 | 6 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Ireland (2025)
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland, Irish Babies' Names (tables VSA50 and VSA60), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes: spellings that differ only by accents (for example Rian and Rían) are counted together. Data years: 1964 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Scotland
- Girls: peak in 1974 (rank #94, 75 births); most recent 2018 (rank #502, 6 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | – |
| 2024 | – |
| 2023 | – |
| 2022 | – |
| 2021 | – |
| 2020 | – |
| 2019 | – |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2017 | – |
| 2016 | – |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Scotland (2025)
Source: National Records of Scotland (NRS), Babies' First Names. © Crown copyright. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1974 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in British Columbia (Canada)
- Girls: peak in 1948 (rank #3, 367 births); most recent 2000 (rank #536, 5 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2023 | – |
| 2022 | – |
| 2021 | – |
| 2020 | – |
| 2019 | – |
| 2018 | – |
| 2017 | – |
| 2016 | – |
| 2015 | – |
| 2014 | – |
Top girl names · Top boy names in British Columbia (Canada) (2023)
Source: British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency, Most popular baby names for the past 100 years. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – British Columbia. Changes: names are shown in title case. Data years: 1924 to 2023. Original data · Licence