Robert vs Barbara

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

Name A

Robert

Boy name · Rank #90

Full profile →
Name B

Barbara

Girl name · Rank #859

Full profile →

Which name is more popular?

Metric Robert Barbara
Current Rank #90 #859
Total Births (all years) 4,845,891 1,436,402
Peak Year 1947 1947
Peak Year Births 91,654 48,800
Peak Decade 1950ss 1940ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Robert Barbara
1880ss 24,074 1,820
1890ss 26,147 2,783
1900ss 35,849 3,999
1910ss 239,185 23,704
1920ss 576,375 97,210
1930ss 590,799 296,419
1940ss 758,115 425,267
1950ss 830,391 345,723
1960ss 650,769 159,774
1970ss 397,249 42,238
1980ss 321,672 19,138
1990ss 205,454 8,855
2000ss 106,658 4,721
2010ss 62,637 3,256
2020ss 20,517 1,495

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Robert Barbara
2014 6,660 325
2015 6,132 327
2016 6,005 329
2017 5,566 301
2018 5,191 291
2019 4,851 287
2020 4,401 300
2021 4,430 299
2022 4,078 276
2023 3,823 307
2024 3,785 313

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, 1880–2024.

← Compare different names