Barbara
A girls’ name of Greek origin, meaning foreign or strange.
Babies a year
292
the US, 2017
Rarity
Rare
among names in use
US popularity
#968
down from #860
UK popularity
#2440
11 babies
How Barbara has moved
View as table
| Year | US rank |
|---|---|
| 2015 | #853 |
| 2016 | #855 |
| 2017 | #897 |
| 2018 | #923 |
| 2019 | #931 |
| 2020 | #892 |
| 2021 | #905 |
| 2022 | #976 |
| 2023 | #877 |
| 2024 | #860 |
| 2025 | #968 |
In 2025, 11 babies in England and Wales were named Barbara. In the US, 292 were, though that figure is from 2017 — the most recent full year we hold. Its US peak was 48,791 in 1947.
Looking further back: between 1880 and 2008, Barbara was most common in 1940, when it went to 3.11% of American babies of that sex. Squarely vintage-revival territory.
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