Barb vs Barbara

Side-by-side comparison of Barb and Barbara — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Barb

Girl name

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Name B

Barbara

Girl name · Rank #859

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Barb Barbara
Current Rank Unranked #859
Total Births (all years) 3,853 1,436,402
Peak Year 1960 1947
Peak Year Births 493 48,800
Peak Decade 1960ss 1940ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1938 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Barb Barbara
1880ss — 1,820
1890ss — 2,783
1900ss — 3,999
1910ss — 23,704
1920ss — 97,210
1930ss 6 296,419
1940ss 201 425,267
1950ss 1,460 345,723
1960ss 2,140 159,774
1970ss 46 42,238
1980ss — 19,138
1990ss — 8,855
2000ss — 4,721
2010ss — 3,256
2020ss — 1,495

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Barb Barbara
2014 — 325
2015 — 327
2016 — 329
2017 — 301
2018 — 291
2019 — 287
2020 — 300
2021 — 299
2022 — 276
2023 — 307
2024 — 313

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1938–1972.

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