Barbara and Barbra are given names. They are the feminine form of the Greek word barbaros (Koine Greek: βάρβαρος) meaning "stranger" or "foreign". In Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition, Saint Barbara (Koine Greek: Ἁγία Βαρβάρα) 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. As such, Saint Barbara is a protectress against fire and lightning. Early Christians occasionally referred to themselves as "barbarians" in opposition to the pagan Romans and Greeks. The story of Saint Barbara is said to have been an inspiration for the fairy tale Rapunzel and other European stories that feature a maiden in a tower.
Today, the name Barbara or its variants are commonly given to female babies born in such countries as Chile, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Russia, among others. Barbie, a traditional English hypocorism for the name and the brand name of a popular fashion doll, is well-used as an independent name for girls and women in the American Amish community. There was also increased interest in the name Barbie following the release of the 2023 film Barbie. Barbara was among the most popular names for girls in English-speaking countries in the first half of the 20th century but has since decreased in usage in countries such as the United States. There were 271 American girls named Barbara and 27 American girls named Barbie in 2022. The name increased in usage in 2023 in the United States, with 305 newborn girls given the name that year, an increase of 87 from 2022. The name ranked 877th on the popularity chart in 2023. Another 32 American girls were named Barbie in 2023.
In Italy, Barbara was particularly popular during the 1970s: it was among the top 10 names given to girls born from 1969 to 1977, rising to 2nd place (behind Maria) in 1971. In the same year, it was the most common name for girls born in Rome and in Bologna.
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People with the given name Barbara or Bárbara
Academia
Barbara Abbott (born 1943), American linguist
Barbara Adams (Egyptologist) (1945–2002), British historian and Egyptologist
Barbara Angus (1924–2005), New Zealand diplomat and historian
Barbara Evelyn Bailey (born 1942), Jamaican educator and gender studies advocate
Barbara Bailey (Connecticut Four), American librarian and activist
Barbara Bates (American physician) (1928–2002), American physician, author and historian
Barbara A. Bowman (born 1954), American nutritionist
Barbara H. Bowman (1930–1996), American geneticist
Barbara Dawson (born 1957), Irish art historian, museum gallery director, author, curator
Barbara Drossel (born 1963), German physicist
Barbara Else (born 1947), New Zealand writer
Barbara Ercolano (born 1977), Italian astrophysicist
Barbara Galland, New Zealand academic in the field of paediatric sleep health
Barbara R. Hatton, American academic administrator
Barbara Hochstein, German–New Zealand radiologist
Barbara Krauthamer (born 1967), American historian
Arts
Barbara (1930–1997; stage name of Monique Andrée Serf), French singer
Barbara Acklin (1943–1998), American soul singer
Barbara Avedon (1925–1994), American television writer
Dame Barbara Cartland (1901–2000), English novelist
Barbara Chase-Riboud (born 1939), American visual artist and sculptor (born 1939)
Barbara Comyns (1907–1992), English writer and artist
Barbara Corcoran (born 1949), American entrepreneur
Barbara Dex (born 1974), Belgian singer
Barbara Dickson (born 1947), British singer
Barbara Fei (1931–2017), Hong Kong soprano opera singer
Barbara Frischmuth (1941–2025), Austrian writer and poet
Barbara Frittoli (born 1967), Italian opera singer
Barbara Gibbs Golffing (1912–1993), American poet and translator
Barbara Gordon (filmmaker) (born 1935), American documentary filmmaker and author
Barbara Harnack (born 1957), American ceramic and mixed media sculpture artist
Barbara Haščáková (1979–2023), Slovak singer
Barbara Hendricks (born 1948), African-American operatic soprano
Law
Barbara Findlay, Canadian lawyer
Barbara Jackman (born 1950), Canadian lawyer
Barbara S. Jones (born 1947), United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Barbara Ann Rowan (1938–2020), American attorney
Barbara Seal, Canadian judge from Montreal, Quebec
Nobility
Barbara of Austria (1539–1572), Archduchess of Austria
Barbara of Brandenburg (1464–1515), Queen consort of Bohemia and Hungary
Barbara of Cilli (1392–1451), Queen of Hungary, Germany and Bohemia, Empress of Holy Roman Empire
Barbara Hamilton, 14th Baroness Dudley (1907–2002), British noblewoman
Barbara of Hesse (1536–1597), Duchess of Württemberg-Mömpelgard
Barbara of Portugal (1711–1758), Queen Consort of Spain
Barbara Bronisława Czarnowska (1810–1891), Polish noblewoman, independence fighter and soldier
Barbara Freyberg, Baroness Freyberg (1887–1973), British peeress
Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland (1640–1709)
Barbara Radziwiłł (1520–1551), Queen of Poland
Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth (1914–1981), British economist and writer
Politics, Diplomacy & Activism
Barbara Adams (attorney) (born 1951), Pennsylvania attorney and politician
Barbara Adams (politician) (born 1962), Canadian politician
Barbara Agostino (born 1982), Luxembourgish politician
Barbara Allimadi (1972–2020), Ugandan politician and human rights activist
Barbara Ayrton-Gould (1886–1950), British politician and suffragist
Barbara Bailey (politician) (born 1944), American politician
Barbara Ball (1924–2011), Bermudian politician
Barbara Ballard (born 1944), American politician
Barbara Bartuś (born 1967), Polish politician
Barbara Biggie, American politician
Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard (born 1950), American politician
Barbara Boxer (born 1940), American politician (US House Representative & US Senator, D-CA)
Barbara Bush (1925–2018), First Lady of the United States 1989–1993
Barbara Cartwright, Bahamian politician
Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn (1910–2002), British politician
Barbara Creecy (born 1958), South African politician
Religion
Saint Barbara, early Christian martyr
Barbara Choe Yong-i, Korean Roman Catholic laywoman, martyr and saint
Bárbara de Santo Domingo (1842–1872), Spanish Catholic mystic
Barbara Bailey (artist) (1910–2003), British nun (Sister Mary Barbara Bailey), artist, and illustrator
Sports
Barbara Abart (born 1985), Italian luger
Barbara Aigner (born 2005), Austrian para-alpine skier
Barbara Calder (1924–2018), British yachtswoman
Bárbara Micheline do Monte Barbosa (born 1988), known as Bárbara, Brazilian footballer
Barbara Brych (born 2000), Polish fencer
Barbara Howard (athlete) (1920–2017), Canadian sprinter
Barbara Jelić-Ružić (born 1977), Croatian volleyball player
Barbara Jones (sprinter) (born 1937), American sprinter
Barbara Jordan (tennis) (born 1957), American tennis player
Barbara Joscelyne (born 1959), British Paralympian athlete
Barbara Kendall (born 1967), boardsailor from New Zealand
Barbara Kennedy (1960–2018), American basketball player
Barbara Klerk (born 1989), Belgian figure skater
Barbara Lah (born 1972), Italian triple jumper
Barbara de Loor (born 1974), Dutch speed skater
Barbara Mensing (born 1960), German archer
Barbara Niedernhuber (born 1974), German luger
People with the given name Barbra
Barbra Amesbury (born 1948), formerly Bill Amesbury, Canadian singer-songwriter, composer and filmmaker
Barbra Banda (born 2000), Zambian Olympic footballer
Barbra Fontana (born 1965), American beach volleyball player
Barbra Fuller (1921–2024), American actress and centenarian
Barbra Higgins (born 1957), Panamanian Olympic fencer
Barbra Lica, Canadian jazz singer and songwriter
Barbra Riley (born 1949), American photographer
Barbra Ring (1870–1955), Norwegian writer and critic
Barbra Casbar Siperstein (1942–2019), American political and transgender-rights activist
Barbra Streisand (born 1942), American singer and film and theatre actress
Barbra Walz (1950/51–1990), American fashion photographer
Fictional characters with the given name Barbara
Barbara "Barbie" Roberts, the name of famous Mattel doll
Barbara, a character from the videogame Genshin Impact