Barbara
Barbara and Barbra are given names. They are the feminine form of the Greek word barbaros meaning "stranger" or "foreign". In Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition, Saint Barbara was imprisoned in a tower by her father. She was then martyred by her father when she refused to renounce Christianity. According to legend, her father was then punished with death by lightning.
Meaning & Origin of Barbara
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Barbara and Barbra are given names. They are the feminine form of the Greek word barbaros meaning "stranger" or "foreign". In Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition, Saint Barbara was imprisoned in a tower by her father. She was then martyred by her father when she refused to renounce Christianity. According to legend, her father was then punished with death by lightning.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Barbara
Barbara first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 127 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1947, when 48,800 Barbaras were born — ranking #4 that year. As of 2026, Barbara ranks #873 for baby girls with 310 births, holding steady (+2%). In total, more than 1.4M Barbaras have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Barbara
Phonetically similar names — useful when Barbara is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Barbara
What does the name Barbara mean?
How popular is Barbara in 2026?
When was Barbara most popular?
In which U.S. states is Barbara most popular?
Is Barbara a unisex name?
What names go well with Barbara?
About the name Barbara
Barbara is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1.4M births in the dataset. Barbara's peak popularity came in 1947 when it ranked #2. Use the chart and map above to compare Barbara's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1947 →
- Names of the 1940s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.