Given name & surname
Barbara
“foreign woman”·“a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger”
Barbara is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “foreign woman” and “a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger” (Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “foreign woman” and “a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger” (Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
From Latin Barbara, from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (“strange, foreign”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Barbara through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,440,831
- 4,136 boys · 1,436,695 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 48,889 babies
- 2025
- 264
- #968 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 264 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 968 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 48,800 in 1947. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (42). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 943,006 as a first name in 2020; 2,161 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Barbara’s family of names
Barbara has a short form in Barb. Barbara shares a linguistic root with Varvara. Barbara has a related form in Bobby.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Barbara has relatives in 35 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
62 related names in 35 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 66
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Bobbyvariant
- Bobbivariant
- Bobbievariant
- Barbiediminutive · English
- Boravariant
- Bashavariant
- Babetteshort form · German
- Basiadiminutive · Polish
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Barbevariant · French
- Babbyclipped form · English
- Barbidiminutive · Hungarian, German
- Baibadiminutive · Latvian
- Barbdiminutive · English, German
- Bardiminutive · English
- Babsclipped form · English, German
- Barbrovariant · Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian
- Barbyvariant
- Barbaritavariant
- Barbarellavariant
- Barbravariant
- Barbarralikely variant
- Barčinkadiminutive · Czech
- Bäppcheshort form · German
- Bärbeldiminutive · German
- Babsidiminutive · German
- Berbdiminutive · gmw-ecg, Limburgish
- Barbsclipped form · English
- Barbovariant · Norwegian Bokmål
- Barkadiminutive · Czech
- Barunkadiminutive · Czech
- Baruškadiminutive · Czech
- Barčadiminutive · Czech
- Báradiminutive · Czech
- Barbarinevariant · German
- Barblishort form · German
- Broskavariant
- Broscavariant
- Borsalavariant
- Borskavariant
- Borscavariant
- Boriskavariant
- Borkavariant
- Borhalavariant
- Borbalavariant
- Baubievariant
- Bashamvariant
- Barabellvariant
- Barabalvariant · Scottish Gaelic
- Barbeyvariant
- Barbaryvariant
- Bairbrevariant · Irish
- Baibrevariant
- Baibinvariant
- Barborkadiminutive · Slovak
- Барбиdiminutive · English
- Barbórkadiminutive · Polish
- Basiulkadiminutive · Polish
- Basiuniadiminutive · Polish
- Basieńkadiminutive · Polish
- Baśkadiminutive · Polish
And 6 more.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 27
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Varvaradoublet · English, Finnish
- Barbaequivalent
- Barboracognate · Czech, Slovak
- Wavarelated form
- Barbareequivalent
- BarberLow German
- BarberaItalian
- Варъвараequivalent
Show 19 moreShow fewer
- بربارةequivalent
- ВарвараRussian
- Borboraborrowing · Lower Sorbian, German
- 芭芭拉borrowing · Chinese
- BárbaraPortuguese, Spanish
- Barbreyderivative · Manx
- Palapalaborrowing · Hawaiian
- BàrbaraCatalan
- ΒαρβάραGreek
- Borbálacognate · Hungarian
- ՎարվառեArmenian
- BerberWest Frisian
- BarbertjeDutch
- BarbaricciaItalian
- BarberinaItalian
- BarbáraIcelandic
- BáirbreIrish
- BarbichonFrench
- VarvoiFinnish
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Barbara
- Barbra StreisandAmerican singer and actress (born 1942)
- Barbara McClintockAmerican scientist and cytogeneticist1902–1992
- Barbara StanwyckAmerican actress (1907–1990)
- Barbara BushFirst Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993 (1925–2018)
- Barbara WaltersAmerican broadcast journalist (1929–2022)
- Barbara HersheyAmerican actressborn 1948
- Barbara W. TuchmanAmerican historian and author (1912–1989)
- Barbara LiskovAmerican computer scientistborn 1939
- Barbara Bel GeddesAmerican actress (1922–2005)
Characters named Barbara: Barbara Gordon (DC Comics character), Barbara Wright (fictional character), Bebe Stevens (South Park).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Barbara, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Nancy
“a woman graced with God's favor” · “one who is pure; chaste”
>99% girls
Patricia
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“one who is lame”
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Laura
“laurel” · “crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Martha
“lady”
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Hillary
“a cheerful woman; bringer of joy”
>99% girls
Gloria
“a renowned and highly praised woman”
>99% girls
Marcia
“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
>99% girls