Girls' name · since 1882
Barbra
Since 1882, U.S. Social Security records show 7,758 babies named Barbra, peaking in 1966. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,941 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 7,758
- born since 1882
- 1960s
- peak decade
Barbra is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 7,758 have been recorded since 1882.
Barbra has 7,758 recorded births among girls since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2014.
- #1,941 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 7,758 born since 1882
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Barbra ranks #1,941 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 7,758 born since 1882, peaking in the 1960s.
- #1,941 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 7,758
- born since 1882
- 1960s
- peak decade
Barbra's 7,758 recorded births place it above 97.31% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
35 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
Barbra's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Barbra's full recorded timeline at 1960, 49% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 51% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1966 peak of 343 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Barbra popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2014
- Peak year (1966)
- 343
- Annual births at peak, across 133 years of records
Barbra by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (1,890 births, 24% of the file).
1960s was Barbra's strongest decade.
1,890 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Barbra births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 111
1910s
111 births
- 1920s 311
1920s
311 births
- 1930s 720
1930s
720 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,142 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,665 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,890 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,116 births
- 1980s 514
1980s
514 births
- 1990s 187
1990s
187 births
- 2000s 72
2000s
72 births
- 2010s 15
2010s
15 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 1,890 births (24% of all-time use).
How Barbra 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 Barbra's total volume
Barbra by state
Where Barbra concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 515 | 6.6% |
| #2 | California | | 451 | 5.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 387 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 341 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 331 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 310 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 203 | 2.6% |
| #8 | Mississippi | | 120 | 1.5% |
515 of 7,758 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Barbra appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Barbra? ▼
Where does Barbra sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Barbra most popular? ▼
Where is Barbra most popular? ▼
How long has the name Barbra been used? ▼
What names are similar to Barbra? ▼
What to do with Barbra's data
- Barbra's decade-level peak was the 1960s (1,890 total births); usage has since declined to 15 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Barbras (515 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Barbra
Nearby Names Like Barbra
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Barbra
Compare Barbra side by side: Barbra vs Barbara Barbra vs Barbie Barbra vs Barb
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Barbra: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1966)
Similar record span (~132 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1882–2014 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Barbra 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 August 2026.