Total births
1,436,695
Girls' name · since 1880
Barbara
1,436,695 babies named Barbara in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1947. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #852
- among girls today
- 1,436,695
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Barbara currently ranks #852 among girls' names in America, with 1,436,695 babies recorded since 1880.
Barbara has 1,436,695 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #852 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of girls, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #852 among girls today
- 1,436,695 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Barbara is currently the #852 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 1,436,695 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #852
- among girls today
- 1,436,695
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Barbara vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#852
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
30% of everyone ever named Barbara was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
48,800 babies were named Barbara in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Barbara compares
1,436,695 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Barbara's all-time total is 3,761x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Barbara | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,436,695 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 48,800 | 48 | 19,840 |
Barbara's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Barbara's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 32% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 68%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 127 births recorded -- set against the 1947 peak of 48,800, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Barbara at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1947
Current rank
#852
Active since
1880
Barbara popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 48,800
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Barbara popularity over time - boys
4,136 total births recorded since 1913 (Barbara as boys' name)
Barbara by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Barbara's strongest decade.
425,271 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Barbara births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,820
1880s
1,820 births
- 1890s 2,783
1890s
2,783 births
- 1900s 3,999
1900s
3,999 births
- 1910s 23,704
1910s
23,704 births
- 1920s 97,210
1920s
97,210 births
- 1930s
1930s
296,420 births
- 1940s
1940s
425,271 births
- 1950s
1950s
345,722 births
- 1960s 159,773
1960s
159,773 births
- 1970s 42,237
1970s
42,237 births
- 1980s 19,139
1980s
19,139 births
- 1990s 8,859
1990s
8,859 births
- 2000s 4,730
2000s
4,730 births
- 2010s 3,263
2010s
3,263 births
- 2020s 1,765
2020s
1,765 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 425,271 births (30% of all-time use).
How Barbara compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Barbara's total volume
Barbara vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Barbara by state
Where Barbara concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 147,292 | 10.3% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 102,121 | 7.1% |
| #3 | California | | 87,644 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 82,917 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 79,225 | 5.5% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 66,725 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Texas | | 58,460 | 4.1% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 53,647 | 3.7% |
New York share of Barbara's total US births 10.3%
Even split
147,292 of 1,436,695 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Barbara appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Barbara? ▼
Barbara has been given to 1,436,695 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #852 as of the latest data. 48,800 babies were born in 1947, its single highest year.
When was Barbara most popular? ▼
Barbara was most popular in the 1940s decade with 425,271 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Barbara most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Barbara are New York (147,292 births), Pennsylvania (102,121 births), California (87,644 births).
How long has the name Barbara been used? ▼
Barbara has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Barbara? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Barbra, Barbie, Barb, Bari, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Barbara's data
- Barbara's decade-level peak was the 1940s (425,271 total births); usage has since declined to 1,765 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Barbaras (147,292 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Barbara
Nearby Names Like Barbara
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Barbara
Barbra Girl
7,758 births
Barbie Girl
#3138 4,204 births
Barb Girl
3,853 births
Bari Girl
#12295 1,806 births
Barrie Girl
1,708 births
Compare Barbara side by side: Barbara vs Barbra Barbara vs Barbie Barbara vs Barb
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Barbara
Skyla #851
14,344 births · Peak 2012
Deborah #853
742,820 births · Peak 1954
Zainab #850
7,326 births · Peak 2025
Anais #854
9,213 births · Peak 2021
Love #849
4,797 births · Peak 2022
Malaysia #855
11,031 births · Peak 2014
Johanna #848
54,247 births · Peak 1984
Amaris #856
9,422 births · Peak 2016
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Barbara: #852 Girls' Name - 1,436,695 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/barbara. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Barbara draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.