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've provided show the annual number of births given the name Barbara in the United States over a span of nearly 140 years, from 1880 to 2023.
In the late 19th century, around the 1880s and 1890s, the name Barbara was quite popular with an average of about 250 births per year. However, it started gaining more traction in popularity around the turn of the century, reaching a peak of over 300 births per year in the early 1900s.
The first significant leap in popularity occurred between the years 1906 and 1907, with a dramatic increase from 413 to 515 births. This trend continued into the 1910s, with another notable jump in 1912 from 1184 births to over 1400 births per year.
The name Barbara reached unprecedented levels of popularity during World War I and II, with over 3000 births per year recorded between 1917 and 1945. The peak was reached in 1946 with an astonishing 48797 births.
Post-WWII, the name Barbara remained popular but began to decline steadily from its peak. Between 1950 and 2023, there has been a consistent decrease in the number of births named Barbara, dropping from over 40000 births per year in the late 1940s to less than 300 births per year in recent years.
Despite its decline in popularity as a baby name, Barbara remains a classic and timeless choice for parents who wish to honor tradition while bestowing a strong and memorable name upon their child. As of 2023, the total number of births given the name Barbara in the United States over this period is estimated to be approximately 1436052.