Barbara vs Olivia

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

Name A

Barbara

Girl name · Rank #859

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Name B

Olivia

Girl name · Rank #1

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Barbara Olivia
Current Rank #859 #1
Total Births (all years) 1,436,402 553,664
Peak Year 1947 2014
Peak Year Births 48,800 19,836
Peak Decade 1940ss 2010ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Barbara Olivia
1880ss 1,820 618
1890ss 2,783 1,099
1900ss 3,999 1,575
1910ss 23,704 3,545
1920ss 97,210 4,982
1930ss 296,419 3,922
1940ss 425,267 7,201
1950ss 345,723 6,100
1960ss 159,774 4,015
1970ss 42,238 7,849
1980ss 19,138 14,061
1990ss 8,855 75,913
2000ss 4,721 156,048
2010ss 3,256 184,528
2020ss 1,495 82,208

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Barbara Olivia
2014 325 19,836
2015 327 19,726
2016 329 19,409
2017 301 18,777
2018 291 18,055
2019 287 18,569
2020 300 17,682
2021 299 17,841
2022 276 16,654
2023 307 15,313
2024 313 14,718

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, 1880–2024.

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