Barbara



Gender:
Origin: Greek
2655 famous people named Barbara found on Wikipedia.
1434308 female, 4138 male in US.
Most recent ranking: 930-th in year 2018
Best ranking: 2nd in year 1944
Used in: Croatian, Danish, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Late-Roman, Norwegian, Polish, Slovene, Swedish

Meanings

A female given name: from a Greek word meaning “foreign, exotic.”.


Barbara is a female given name used in numerous languages. It is the feminine form of the Greek word barbaros (Greek: βάρβαρος) meaning "barbarian", see article "Barbarian" for details.
In Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox tradition, Saint Barbara was martyred by her father, who was then punished with death by lightning. As such, St. Barbara is a protectress against fire and lightning.
Today, Barbara remains among the top 100 most popular names for female babies born in Chile, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. It is among the top 10 names given to baby girls born in both the Czech Republic and Georgia in 2012. The Russian variant Varvara is also returning to popularity in former Soviet republics such as Estonia, where it ranked among the top names for girls in 2012, and in Russia, where it was the eighth most popular name for girls born in 2013 in Moscow. Its popularity in the United States has declined from third place, in the 1930s, to 838th place, in 2013, when it was used for 310 newborn American girls. The Russian form of the name, Varvara, was given to just 11 American girls in 2013.
In Italy Barbara was particularly popular during the 1970s: it is 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.


Fem. proper name, from Latin, fem. of barbarus "strange, foreign, barbarous," from Greek barbaros (see barbarian (n.)). For women, unlike men, the concept of "alien" presumably could be felt as "exotic" and thus make an appealing name. Popularized as a Christian name by the legend of Saint Barbara, early 4c. martyr, whose cult flourished from 7c. The common Middle English form was Barbary. A top 10 name in popularity for girls born in the U.S. between 1927 and 1958.


Means: stranger, foreign, foreigner, travel from a foreign land; from the Greek barbaros.

Famous People: 2655 found on Wikipedia.
Popularity Name Birth Year Description
1 Barbara Gordon Fictional character
2 Barbara Bush 1925 Former First Lady of the United States
3 Barbara Eden 1931 Actor, singer
4 Barbara Stanwyck 1907 American actress
5 Barbara Corcoran 1949 Real estate agent and investor
6 Barbara Hershey 1948 American actress
7 Barbara Windsor 1937 Actress
8 Barbara Walters 1929 American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality
9 Barbara Bach 1947 Actress
10 Barbara Pierce Bush 1981 Elder of the two fraternal twin daughters of 43rd President of the United States George W. Bush and Former First Lady Laura Bush
11 Barbara Boxer 1940 American politician
12 Barbara Hale 1922 American actress
13 Barbara Bain 1931 American actress
14 Barbara Palvin 1993 Hungarian fashion model
15 Barbara Sinatra 1927 American former model and showgirl; best known as the wife of Zeppo Marx, and, later, Frank Sinatra
16 Barbara Hutton 1912 Philanthropist, Heiress
17 Barbara Mandrell 1948 American country music singer and actress
18 Barbara Billingsley 1915 Actress, model
19 Barbara Feldon 1933 American actress, model and television personality
20 Barbara Kurdej-Szatan 1985 Polish actress
21 Barbara Bel Geddes 1922 American actress
22 Barbara Rush 1927 Actress
23 Barbara Alyn Woods 1962 American actress
24 Barbara Daly Baekeland 1922 American socialite
25 Barbara Carrera 1945 Nicaraguan-American model and actress
26 Barbara Jordan 1936 American politician
27 Barbara Minty 1953 American writer
28 Saint Barbara 0273 Early Christian saint and martyr, from Nicomedia
29 Barbara Barrie 1931 Actress, author
30 Barbara Broccoli 1960 American film producer
31 Barbara Mikulski 1936 American politician
32 Barbara Kruger 1945 American artist
33 Barbara Niven 1953 American actress
34 Barbara Parkins 1942 Canadian actress
35 Barbara Cartland 1901 English writer
36 Barbara McClintock 1902 American scientist and cytogeneticist
37 Barbara Graham 1923 Convicted murderer
38 Barbara Babcock 1937 American actress
39 Barbara Stuart 1930 American actress
40 Barbara Dunkelman 1989 Canadian actress
41 Barbara Harris 1935 American actress born 1935
42 Barbara Anderson 1945 American actress
43 Barbara Valentin 1940 Austrian actress
44 Barbara Bouchet 1943 Actress and Entrepreneuse
45 Barbara Lee 1946 American politician
46 Barbara Berlusconi 1984 Businesswoman
47 Barbara Goodson 1949 American voice actress
48 Barbara Olson 1955 American lawyer
49 Barbara Wussow 1961 German actress
50 Barbara Payton 1927 American actress
51 Barbara Palombelli 1953 Italian journalist
52 Barbara Crampton 1958 American actress
53 Barbara Knox 1932 British actress
54 Barbara Flynn 1948 British actress
55 Barbara Dare 1963 American pornographic actress
56 Barbara Hepworth 1903 English sculptor
57 Barbara Morgan 1951 Astronaut
58 Barbara Kingsolver 1955 American author, poet and essayist
59 Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland 1640 English royal mistress from the Villiers family
60 Barbara Ruick 1930 Actress
61 Barbara Rosenblat American stage actor
62 Barbara Comstock 1959 American politician
63 Barbara Dickson 1947 Scottish singer and actress
64 Barbara Pepper 1915 Actress
65 Barbara Rhoades 1947 Actress
66 Barbara Hahlweg 1968 German television presenter
67 Barbara Cook 1927 American actress and singer
68 Barbara Schett Eagle 1976 Austrian tennis player
69 Barbara Nichols 1928 Actress
70 Barbara Ehrenreich 1941 American writer and journalist
71 Barbara Orbison 1950 German-American record producer and philanthropist
72 Barbara Dolniak 1960 Polish politician, deputy and judge
73 Barbara Mularczyk 1984 Polish actress
74 Barbara Steele 1937 English actress
75 Barbara Becker 1966 German fashion designer
76 Barbara Trentham 1944 American actress
77 Barbara Williams 1953 Canadian-American actress
78 Barbara Henry American teacher
79 Barbara W. Tuchman 1912 American historian and author
80 Barbara Colby 1939 Actress
81 BarBara Luna 1939 Actress
82 Barbara Sukowa 1950 German actress and singer
83 Barbara McNair 1934 Singer, actress
84 Barbara Shelley 1932 British actress
85 Barbara Bosson 1939 American actress
86 Barbara Park 1947 American juvenile author
87 Barbara Nedeljáková 1979 Slovak actress
88 Barbara Tarbuck 1942 American actress
89 Barbara Loden 1932 American actress and director
90 Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn 1910 British politician
91 Barbara De Fina 1949 American film producer
92 Barbara Taylor Bradford 1933 British author
93 Barbara Salesch 1950 Jurist and actor
94 Barbara Bates 1925 Actress
95 Barbara Kwiatkowska-Lass 1940 1940-1995 Polish actress
96 Barbara De Bortoli 1971 Italian actress and voice actress
97 Barbara Starr American journalist
98 Barbara Luddy 1908 American actress
99 Barbara La Marr 1896 Actress
100 Barbara Hogan 1952 South African politician
101 Barbara Leigh 1946 Former American actress and model
102 Barbara Winiarska 1952 Polish actress
103 Barbara Hall 1960 American musician, writer and producer
104 Barbara Lerner Spectre 1942 Israeli academic
105 Barbara Liskov 1939 American computer scientist
106 Barbara West 1911 Survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic
107 Barbara Britton 1919 American film and television actress
108 Barbara Stager 1948 American murderer
109 Barbara Ann Crancer 1938 American judge
110 Barbara Hannigan 1971 Canadian operatic soprano
111 Barbara J. Fields Historian
112 Barbara Yung 1959 Hong Kong actress
113 Barbara Lewis 1943 Singer-songwriter
114 Barbara Fialho 1987 Brazilian model
115 Barbara Jane Harrison 1945 Air hostess and recipient of the George Cross
116 Barbara O'Neil 1910 Actress
117 Barbara Parodi Delfino 1959 Italian journalist
118 Barbara Frum 1937 Canadian journalist
119 Barbara Bennett 1906 Actress
120 Barbara Schnitzler 1953 German actress
121 Barbara Kosmal 1973 Polish model
122 Barbara T. Bowman 1928 Co-founder of the Erikson Institute
123 Barbara Mertz 1927 American author and egyptologist
124 Barbara Stock 1956 American actress
125 Barbara Tissier 1972 French actress
126 Barbara Amiel 1940 British journalist, writer, and socialite
127 Barbara Jefford 1930 British actress
128 Barbara Leigh-Hunt 1935 Actress
129 Barbara De Angelis 1951 American psychologist
130 Barbara Lezzi 1972 Italian politician
131 Barbara Romaner 1978 Italian actress
132 Barbara Durkin British actress
133 Barbara Kellerman 1949 British actress
134 Barbara Karlich 1969 Austrian television presenter
135 Barbara Newhall Follett 1914 American writer
136 Barbara 2000 German artist
137 Barbara Borys-Damięcka 1937
138 Barbara Pym 1913 British writer
139 Barbara Hoyt 1951 Manson Family member
140 Barbara Jane Mackle 1948 Crime victim
141 Barbara Ann Hackmann Taylor 1943 American murder victim
142 Barbara Eve Harris 1959 Canadian actress
143 Barbara March 1953 Canadian actress
144 Barbara Burska 1947 Polish actress
145 Barbara Boncompagni 1963 Italian singer
146 Barbara Meek 1934 American actress
147 Barbara Murray 1929 British actress
148 Joseph Barbara 1905 American mobster
149 Barbara Bursztynowicz 1954 Polish actress
150 Barbara Sloesen 1988 Dutch television actor
151 Barbara Young 1936 English actress
152 Barbara Davis Philanthropist
153 Barbara Mason 1947 American musician
154 Barbara Kisseler 1949 German politician
155 Barbara Spooner Wilberforce 1771 Wife of William Wilberforce
156 Barbara Kopple 1946 American film/documentary director
157 Barbara Woodhouse 1910 English dog trainer
158 Barbara Lynn 1942 American rhythm and blues and electric blues guitarist and singer
159 Barbara Philipp 1965 German actress
160 Barbara Kelsch French actress
161 Barbara Beretta 1978 French actress
162 Barbara Jo Allen 1906 American actress
163 Barbara Buono 1953 New Jersey State Senator
164 Barbara Baxley 1923 American actress
165 Barbara Scoppa 1957 Italian actress
166 Barbara Fredrickson 1964 Professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
167 Barbara Szcześniak 1951 Polish actress
168 Barbara Martin 1943 American R&B singer
169 Barbara Delsol 1963 French actress
170 Barbara Lott 1920 British actress
171 Barbara Ann Scott 1928 Figure skater from Canada
172 Barbara Strozzi 1619 Italian baroque singer and composer
173 Barbara Gaskin 1950 British singer
174 Barbara Smith 1946 American writer
175 Barbara Siggers Franklin 1917 American singer
176 Barbara Oakley 1955 Professor of Engineering
177 Barbara Brennan 1939 American Writer
178 Barbara Hendricks 1948 African-American operatic soprano and concert singer
179 Barbara Lawrence 1930 American writer and real-estate businessperson, and retired actress and model
180 Barbara Lynch American chef
181 Barbara of Portugal 1711 Queen consort of Spain
182 Barbara, Lady Judge 1946 American banker
183 Barbara Lett-Simmons 1927 American politician
184 Barbara Hulanicki 1936 Fashion designer
185 Barbara Bonney 1956 Singer
186 Barbara de Koy 1954 German actress
187 Barbara Rett 1953 Austrian television presenter
188 Barbara Bleisch 1973 Swiss journalist and television presenter
189 Barbara Prakopenka 1992 German actress
190 Barbara Fritchie 1766 American patriot during the American Civil War
191 Barbara Fairchild 1950 American country and gospel singer
192 Barbara Johnson 1947 American literary critic
193 Barbara Marx Hubbard 1929 American writer
194 Barbara Carrellas American writer
195 Barbara Randolph 1942 American singer
196 Barbara Byrd-Bennett 1951 CEO of the Chicago Public Schools system
197 Barbara Garrick 1965 American actress
198 Barbara Doll 1972 French pornographic actress
199 Barbara Simons 1941 American computer scientist
200 Barbara Tausia 1977 Belgian singer