The first name Barbara

Discover the meaning and origin of the first name Barbara, its history and its evolution in baptism records preserved in Genealogy Quebec’s collections.

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About the first name Barbara

Meaning

The name Barbara traditionally means “foreign woman” in its ancient Greek sense.

Historical origin

The name Barbara comes from Greek Barbara, feminine of barbaros “foreigner,” transmitted through Latin and spread by Saint Barbara.

Did you know?

Devotion to saints strongly contributed to the spread of Barbara; religious calendars long influenced naming choices in Quebec.

Pronunciation:bar-ba-rabɑɹbɚɹə

Frequency of the first name Barbara by baptism year

The chart below shows the frequency of the first name Barbara by the year of baptisms listed in Genealogy Quebec’s data. It highlights the periods when this first name appears most often and its evolution across generations.

152total mentions

Annual evolution of the first name BarbaraLine chart showing the frequency of the first name Barbara in baptisms by year.201510501815185118871923195919951815–1819 4 baptisms1830–1834 6 baptisms1835–1839 2 baptisms1840–1844 6 baptisms1845–1849 2 baptisms1850–1854 12 baptisms1855–1859 8 baptisms1860–1864 4 baptisms1865–1869 6 baptisms1870–1874 6 baptisms1885–1889 4 baptisms1890–1894 2 baptisms1895–1899 2 baptisms1900–1904 2 baptisms1915–1919 2 baptisms1920–1924 2 baptisms1925–1929 4 baptisms1930–1934 8 baptisms1935–1939 8 baptisms1940–1944 8 baptisms1945–1949 10 baptisms1950–1954 4 baptisms1955–1959 4 baptisms1960–1964 4 baptisms1965–1969 4 baptisms1970–1974 12 baptisms1975–1979 8 baptisms1980–1984 6 baptisms1995–1999 2 baptisms

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