Barbara

Primarily a girl's name · 100% girls

Meaning

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.

From Wikipedia

Barbara first appears in the data in 1999 and has been recorded in 24 different years as a girl's name. Its single biggest year was 1999 with 391 babies (rank #103 that year). In 2024 it was given to 30 girls (rank #445). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Barbara

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Barbara yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

7Destiny numberThe seekerIntrospective, analytical, drawn to the unknown.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
3Soul urgeThe creativeExpressive, sociable, lifted by playful energy.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
22PersonalityThe master builderTurns visions into structures — a heightened 4.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

3,758

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

391

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Girls

Famous people named Barbara

Barbara McClintockcytogeneticist · b. 1902
Barbara Stanwyckfilm actor · b. 1907
Barbara Bushpolitician · b. 1925
Barbara Waltersbroadcast journalist · b. 1929
Barbara Cartlandnovelist · b. 1901

More popular girls' names

Names ranked near Barbara in 2024

Other girls' names starting with B

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all girls' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1999	391	#103
2000	365	#111
2001	377	#107
2002	295	#125
2003	253	#133
2004	234	#140
2005	233	#141
2006	217	#148
2007	160	#183
2008	172	#179
2009	114	#232
2010	105	#245
2011	100	#246
2012	103	#242
2013	110	#225
2014	89	#267
2015	90	#252
2016	78	#278
2017	51	#361
2019	62	#298
2020	56	#315
2022	36	#417
2023	37	#399
2024	30	#445