Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Barbara (given name)

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Gender
  
Female

Name day
  
December 4

Language(s)
  
Greek

Barbara (given name)

Meaning
  
"barbarian" (as in "barbarian")

See also
  
Barbra, Babs, Barbie, Barby, Barb

Barbara is a female given name used in numerous languages. It is the feminine form of the Greek word barbaros (Greek: βαρβαρος) meaning "barbarian", see article "Barbarian" for details.

Contents

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.

Variants

  • Babara (Hawaiian)
  • Babbie (English)
  • Babette (French)
  • Baibín (Irish Gaelic)
  • Bairbre (Irish Gaelic)
  • Bára (Czech)
  • Bärbel (German)
  • Barabal (Scottish Gaelic)
  • Barb (English)
  • Bàrbara (Catalan)
  • Bárbara (Galician, Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Barbara (Croatian, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Slovene)
  • Barbare (Georgian)
  • Barbary (English)
  • Barbie (English)
  • Barby (English)
  • Barbora (Czech, Lithuanian, Slovak)
  • Barbra (English), considered "close to extinction" in the United States as of 2013.
  • Barbro (Swedish)
  • Basia (Polish)
  • Baśka (Polish)
  • Basieńka (Polish)
  • Barča (Czech)
  • Berber (West Frisian)
  • Borbála (Hungarian)
  • Varvara (disambiguation) (Bulgarian, Greek)
  • Βαρβάρα (Varvara), (Greek)
  • Варвара (Varvara), (Russian, Ukrainian)
  • Варя (Varya), (Russian, Ukrainian hypocorism)
  • Barunka (Czech)
  • Baruška (Czech)
  • Barbuš, Baruš (Czech)
  • Barborka (Slovak), (Czech)
  • People named Barbara (or variants)

  • Saint Barbara, early Christian martyr
  • Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), stage name of Monique Andrée Serf, French singer
  • Bárbara Micheline do Monte Barbosa (born 1988), known as Bárbara, Brazilian footballer
  • Barbara of Cilli (1392–1451), Queen of Hungary, Germany and Bohemia, Empress of Holy Roman Empire
  • Barbara of Austria (1539–1572), Duchess of Ferrara
  • Barbara of Brandenburg (1464–1515), Queen consort of Bohemia and Hungary
  • Barbara of Portugal (1711–1758), Queen Consort of Spain
  • People with the given name Barbara (or variants)

  • Barbara Abart (born 1985), Italian luger
  • Barbara Acklin (1943–1998), American soul singer
  • Barbara Adams (attorney) (born 1951), Pennsylvania politician
  • Barbara Adams (Egyptologist) (1945–2002), British egyptologist
  • Barbra Amesbury (born 1948), formerly Bill Amesbury, Canadian singer-songwriter, composer and filmmaker
  • Barbara Avedon (1925–1994), television writer
  • Barbara Berlusconi (born 1984), Italian business executive
  • Barbara Bestor, American architect based in Los Angeles, California
  • Barbara Bush (born 1925), First Lady of the United States (1989–1993)
  • Barbara West Carpenter, American educator and politician
  • Barbara Castle (1910–2002), British politician
  • Barbara Corcoran (born 1949), American entrepreneur
  • Barbara Dunkelman (born 1988), Canadian-born actress for Rooster Teeth
  • Barbara Eden (born 1931), American actress
  • Barbro Eriksdotter (Bielke), Swedish noble
  • Barbara Feldon (born 1933), American actress
  • Barbara Frittoli (born 1967), Italian opera singer
  • Barbara Jordan (1936–1996), American politician
  • Barbara Jordan (poet) (born 1949), American poet
  • Barbara Jordan (tennis) (born 1957), American former tennis player
  • Barbara Karinska (1886–1983), Ukrainian costumer of the New York City Ballet
  • Barbara Kay (born 1943), Canadian columnist
  • Barbara Keeley (born 1952), British politician
  • Barbara Keiler, better known under her pen name Judith Arnold (born 1953), American writer
  • Barbara Kellerman (born 1949), British actress
  • Barbara Kent (1907–2011), American actress
  • Barbara Klerk (born 1989), Belgian figure skater
  • Barbora Kodetová (born 1970), Czech actress
  • Barbara Kolb (born 1939), American composer
  • Barbara Kopple (born 1946), American film director
  • Barbara La Marr (1896–1926), American actress
  • Barbara Lah (born 1972), Italian triple jumper
  • Barbara Lea (1929–2011), American actress and singer
  • Barbara Lee (born 1946), American politician
  • Barbara Levick (born 1932), British historian
  • Barbara Longhi (1552–1638), Italian painter
  • Barbara McAlister, American diver
  • Barbara McCauley, American romance writer
  • Barbara McClintock (1902–1992), United States Scientist
  • Barbara McNair (1934–2007), American singer and actress
  • Barbara Mensing (born 1960), German archer
  • Barbara Moore (athlete) (born 1957), New Zealand long-distance runner
  • Barbara Nedeljáková (born 1979), Slovak actress
  • Barbara Nichols (1928–1976), American actress and sex symbol
  • Barbara Niedernhuber (born 1974), German luger
  • Barbara O'Neil (1910–1980), American actress
  • Bárbara Palacios (born 1963), Venezuelan beauty queen
  • Barbara Palvin (born 1993), Hungarian model
  • Barbara Patton (born 1944), New York politician and university professor
  • Barbara Paulus (born 1970), Austrian tennis player
  • Barbara Pennington (born 1950s), American music artist
  • Barbara Pierce Bush, daughter of the U.S. President George W. Bush
  • Barbara Piwnik (born 1955), Polish judge and politician
  • Barbara Pompili (born 1975), French politician
  • Barbara Potter (born 1961), Jordan's American compatriot and former tennis player
  • Barbara Rafferty (born 1954), Scottish actress
  • Barbara Randolph (1942–2002), American soul singer
  • Barbara Radziwiłł (1520–1551), Queen of Poland
  • Barbara Rittner (born 1973), German former tennis player
  • Barbara Riveros Diaz, Chilean triathlete
  • Barbara Schett (born 1976), Austrian tennis player
  • Barbara Schwartz (disambiguation), several people
  • Barbara Stanwyck (1907–1990), American actress
  • Barbra Streisand (born 1942), American singer and film and theatre actress
  • Barbara Strozzi (1619–1677), Italian Baroque singer and composer
  • Barbara Sturgeon, British broadcaster
  • Barbara Sukowa (born 1950), German actress
  • Barbara Traub, American photographer
  • Barbara Wagner (born 1938), Canadian figure skater
  • Barbara Walters (born 1929), American journalist
  • Barbara Ward, British economist and writer
  • Barbara Windsor (born 1937), British comedy and soap opera actress
  • Barbara Zdunk (1769–1811), Polish alleged arsonist
  • References

    Barbara (given name) Wikipedia