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Barbara

“Foreigner, stranger” — Greek via Latin origin

Girl's name · #968 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Barbara has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #2 (1937) · 1,436,695 babies named Barbara all-time · 1 in 6,300 girls born in 2025.

Around the world: #45 in Poland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 21 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Barbaras

• Barbara McClintock — American scientist and cytogeneticist
• Barbara Stanwyck — American actress (1907–1990)
• Barbara Bush — First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993 (1925–2018)
• Barbara Walters — American broadcast journalist (1929–2022)
• Barbara Cartland — English writer and media personality (1901-2000)

In stories & tradition

• Barbara Gordon — Batman: Gotham City Racer · Batman: Vengeance
• Barbara Wright — Doctor Who
• Barbara Jeziorkowska — Fire in the Steppe · Colonel Wolodyjowski

What Barbaras become

Among 8,038 notable people named Barbara:

Medical professionals appear 2.04× more often than among typical names — e.g. Barbara Nath-Wiser, Austrian physician.

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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