Barbara is a feminine given name of Latin origin that means "foreign" or "strange." It comes from the word "barbarus," which was used by the Greeks and Romans to refer to non-Greek or non-Roman people, especially those who spoke languages other than Greek or Latin.
The name Barbara gained popularity in the Middle Ages due to a Christian legend about Saint Barbara. According to the story, Barbara was a young woman from a wealthy family who converted to Christianity and refused to marry a pagan man chosen by her father. She was then imprisoned by her father and eventually killed for her faith. After her death, she was recognized as a saint, and her name became associated with beauty and faith.
The name Barbara has been used in various forms throughout history. In the Middle Ages, it was often spelled "Barbara" or "Bárbara." In France, it was sometimes spelled "Barbe," while in Italy, it might appear as "Barbarotta" or "Barbaretta." Today, it is still a popular name around the world, with variations such as Barbara, Babara, Barbora, and Barbaree being used.
Some famous people named Barbara include actresses Barbara Streisand and Barbara Bain, author Barbara Kingsolver, and artist Barbara Hepworth. However, despite its popularity and long history, Barbara remains a unique and distinctive name that stands out from the crowd.
The statistics you provided illustrate the trend of the name Barbara among newborns in the United States from 1880 to 2023. The name Barbara, derived from the Aramaic word "bar" meaning foreign, was quite popular during the late 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries.
In the late 19th century, around 1880-1890, the number of babies named Barbara ranged between 127 to 278 annually. This increased significantly in the early 20th century, with a total of 2,061 births in 1914, peaking at 23,954 births in 1922. After this peak, the popularity of the name began to decline.
From 1965 onwards, the number of newborns named Barbara started to decrease notably, with only 802 babies named Barbara in 1970. This downward trend continued throughout most of the rest of the 20th century and into the early 21st century, reaching an all-time low of 276 births in 2022.
Despite its decline in popularity, Barbara remains a traditional and enduring name. It has been given to over 143,605 babies in the United States alone from 1880 until now, demonstrating that it has maintained some degree of relevance throughout history.