NameTides

Barbara

Barbara was the #968 girls' name in the US in 2025 (264 babies), and #2,440 in England & Wales and #1,265 in Canada.

Barbara as a girl’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Scotland
  • Ireland
  • Canada
  • NSW
Barbara as a girl’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, NSWBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.012.52537.55018801900192019401960198020002020USCanadaEngland & Wales
Barbara as a girl’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, NSWBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.012.52537.5501880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. New South Wales publishes its top 100 only, so it appears in the rank view and only in years the name made the top 100. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesScotlandIrelandCanadaNSW
2025#968 (264)#2,440 (11)——#1,265 (20)—
2024#852 (317)#2,001 (14)——#1,234 (20)—
2023#871 (308)#1,410 (22)—#856 (3)#1,491 (15)—
2022#966 (276)#1,685 (17)—#747 (4)#2,553 (7)—
2021#904 (299)#1,351 (23)—#883 (3)#1,381 (17)—
2020#886 (301)#1,238 (26)—#495 (7)#1,121 (22)—
2019#922 (287)#1,063 (32)—#621 (5)#1,283 (19)—
2018#920 (291)#886 (42)#502 (6)#629 (5)#1,031 (25)—
2017#890 (303)#1,258 (27)—#734 (4)#1,230 (20)—
2016#856 (329)#1,031 (34)—#585 (6)#1,785 (12)—
2015#849 (329)#1,452 (22)#566 (5)#316 (15)#934 (28)—
2014#848 (326)#1,299 (25)#802 (3)#876 (3)#1,229 (20)—
2013#831 (321)#1,291 (26)—#747 (4)#1,206 (20)—
2012#893 (296)#1,130 (30)#580 (5)#560 (7)#1,194 (21)—
2011#745 (369)#1,015 (34)#674 (4)#393 (12)#1,882 (11)—

The tide so far

  • Peaked in the US in 1938 at #2.
  • Holding steady over the last five years.
  • In the US records since the data begins in 1880.

How common is it?

about 1 in 6,100 baby girls in the published US list for 2025.

In a group of 1,000 children born that year, you would expect to meet fewer than 1. How we work this out.

How common, country by country

WhereSexLatest yearShareVerdict
USGirls2025about 1 in 6,100uncommon
England & WalesGirls2025about 1 in 23,000rare
CanadaGirls2025about 1 in 7,500uncommon

Next year

On its recent trend, Barbara is likely to keep rising in the US in 2026: about 1 in 5,600 baby girls. Likely range 1 in 4,700 to 1 in 6,700.

Estimate, not an official figure. How we estimate.

Across the US

Barbara by state, 2025Alaska: fewer than 5 babiesAKMaine: fewer than 5 babiesMEWisconsin: #612WIVermont: fewer than 5 babiesVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 babiesNHWashington: #1,046WAIdaho: fewer than 5 babiesIDMontana: fewer than 5 babiesMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 babiesMNIllinois: #797ILMichigan: #787MINew York: #902NYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 babiesMAOregon: fewer than 5 babiesORNevada: fewer than 5 babiesNVWyoming: fewer than 5 babiesWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesSDIowa: #492IAIndiana: #511INOhio: #878OHPennsylvania: #414PANew Jersey: fewer than 5 babiesNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 babiesCTRhode Island: fewer than 5 babiesRICalifornia: #1,111CAUtah: fewer than 5 babiesUTColorado: fewer than 5 babiesCONebraska: fewer than 5 babiesNEMissouri: #516MOKentucky: #443KYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 babiesWVVirginia: #1,180VAMaryland: fewer than 5 babiesMDDelaware: fewer than 5 babiesDEArizona: #1,040AZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 babiesNMKansas: fewer than 5 babiesKSArkansas: fewer than 5 babiesARTennessee: fewer than 5 babiesTNNorth Carolina: #1,281NCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 babiesSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 babiesDCOklahoma: fewer than 5 babiesOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 babiesLAMississippi: fewer than 5 babiesMSAlabama: fewer than 5 babiesALGeorgia: fewer than 5 babiesGAHawaii: fewer than 5 babiesHITexas: #713TXFlorida: #1,325FL
Barbara (girls) rank in each state, 2025. Hatched states recorded fewer than 5 babies.
  • #1–10
  • #11–50
  • #51–100
  • #101–500
  • below #500

Across Canada

ProvinceYearRankBabies
Ontario2024#93212

Barbara (girls): rank in each province’s latest list. Only Quebec and Ontario publish full name lists; Ontario’s latest list is a year behind.

Spellings

Official statistics count each spelling separately, so we show them side by side rather than adding them up.

SpellingWhereSexLatest rankBabies
BarbaraCanadaGirls#1,26520
BarbaraEngland & WalesGirls#2,44011
BarbaraIrelandGirls—too few
BarbaraNorthern IrelandGirls—too few
BarbaraNSWGirls—too few
BarbaraScotlandGirls—too few
BarbaraUSGirls#968264
BarbaraUSBoys—too few