Barbara

femaleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Barbara: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Barbara: Recorded every year since 1946, it reached #10 in 1954, and it stood at #2,000 in 2024.

5registrars recorded it
174times a registrar ranked it
79years from first to last
#10highest recorded position
26groupings it qualifies for
34names it appears alongside

What stands out in Barbara's record

Ranked every year since 1946, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Held a top-100 place for 30 years running. Names by top-100 run
Appears alongside 34 other names across 6 kinds of recorded relationship. All recorded relationships
Shares a published list with another name across 68 years. Longest shared records

Region

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2024

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#848
1997	#1045
1998	#1392
1999	#1060
2000	#1139
2001	#1520
2002	#1151
2003	#1325
2004	#1617
2005	#1589
2006	#1660
2007	#1234
2008	#1176
2009	#1171
2010	#1040
2011	#1015
2012	#1130
2013	#1291
2014	#1299
2015	#1452
2016	#1031
2017	#1258
2018	#886
2019	#1063
2020	#1238
2021	#1351
2022	#1685
2023	#1410
2024	#2000

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Norway in 55 of the 70 years from 1946 to 2015.

In 2023: #856 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #1410 among girls in England and Wales.

Official data from 5 national registrars across 5 regions, 1946–2024 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1946
First recorded at #271 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1954–1971
Highest recorded position: #10 among girls in New Zealand, in 1954 (recorded 1954–1971).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2000 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls

Barbara appears in 5 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Girls, with 56 ranked years and 3,087 births registered; the earliest is Norway · Girls, from 1946.

Barbara across 5 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Barbara's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Norway · Girls	#271 (1946)	#167 (1960)	#543 (2015)	55 of 70	948 (1946–2015)	34 (1983)
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#43 (1964)	#43 (1964)	#856 (2023)	56 of 60	3,087 (1964–2023)	172 (1971)
England and Wales · Girls	#848 (1996)	#848 (1996)	#2000 (2024)	29 of 29	660 (1996–2024)	42 (2018)
New South Wales, Australia · Girls	#18 (1952)	#16 (1953)	#98 (1969)	17 of 18	3,748 (1952–1969)	448 (1953)
New Zealand · Girls	#10 (1954)	#10 (1954)	#100 (1971)	17 of 18	3,531 (1954–1971)	382 (1954)

Barbara by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Barbara in Republic of Ireland · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960sbusiest	921	6 of 10	154
1970s	1,360	10 of 10	136
1980s	586	10 of 10	59
1990s	102	9 of 10	11
2000s	33	7 of 10	5
2010s	68	10 of 10	7
2020s	17	4 of 10	4

Across Republic of Ireland · Girls, the 1960s were its busiest decade — the 6 years of it this list covers, averaging 154 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1981 and 1982, when recorded births fell by 34, from 111 to 77.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Barbara appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 5 regions, from 1946 to 2024. Highest recorded position: #10 in New Zealand in 1955.

Barbara's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	female	#2000	14	High	Verified
2023	England and Wales	female	#1410	22	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	female	#1685	17	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	female	#1351	23	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	female	#1238	26	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	female	#1063	32	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	female	#886	42	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	female	#1258	27	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	female	#1031	34	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	female	#1452	22	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	female	#1299	25	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	female	#1291	26	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	female	#1130	30	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	female	#1015	34	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	female	#1040	32	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	female	#1171	26	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	female	#1176	25	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	female	#1234	22	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	female	#1660	14	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	female	#1589	14	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	female	#1617	13	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	female	#1325	16	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	female	#1151	18	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	female	#1520	12	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	female	#1139	17	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	female	#1060	19	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	female	#1392	13	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	female	#1045	19	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	female	#848	26	High	Verified
1969	New South Wales, Australia	female	#98	86	Insufficient	Not yet available
1967	New South Wales, Australia	female	#85	93	Insufficient	Not yet available
1966	New South Wales, Australia	female	#75	109	Insufficient	Not yet available
1965	New South Wales, Australia	female	#76	100	Insufficient	Not yet available
1964	New South Wales, Australia	female	#67	114	Insufficient	Not yet available
1963	New South Wales, Australia	female	#62	145	Insufficient	Not yet available
1962	New South Wales, Australia	female	#56	176	Insufficient	Not yet available
1961	New South Wales, Australia	female	#60	168	Insufficient	Not yet available
1960	New South Wales, Australia	female	#55	179	Insufficient	Not yet available
1959	New South Wales, Australia	female	#47	204	Insufficient	Not yet available
1958	New South Wales, Australia	female	#31	288	Insufficient	Not yet available
1957	New South Wales, Australia	female	#32	280	Insufficient	Not yet available
1956	New South Wales, Australia	female	#35	290	Insufficient	Not yet available
1955	New South Wales, Australia	female	#35	276	Insufficient	Not yet available
1954	New South Wales, Australia	female	#25	358	Insufficient	Not yet available
1953	New South Wales, Australia	female	#16	448	Insufficient	Not yet available
1952	New South Wales, Australia	female	#18	434	Insufficient	Not yet available
1971	New Zealand	female	#100	68	High	Verified
1969	New Zealand	female	#89	75	High	Verified
1968	New Zealand	female	#81	87	High	Verified
1967	New Zealand	female	#63	103	High	Verified
1966	New Zealand	female	#66	101	High	Verified
1965	New Zealand	female	#74	92	High	Verified
1964	New Zealand	female	#47	153	High	Verified
1963	New Zealand	female	#44	171	High	Verified
1962	New Zealand	female	#41	181	High	Verified
1961	New Zealand	female	#32	225	High	Verified
1960	New Zealand	female	#22	269	High	Verified
1959	New Zealand	female	#21	306	High	Verified
1958	New Zealand	female	#17	306	High	Verified
1957	New Zealand	female	#17	302	High	Verified
1956	New Zealand	female	#12	335	High	Verified
1955	New Zealand	female	#10	375	High	Verified
1954	New Zealand	female	#10	382	High	Verified
2015	Norway	female	#543	4	High	Verified
2012	Norway	female	#516	5	High	Verified
2006	Norway	female	#587	4	High	Verified
1998	Norway	female	#533	5	High	Verified
1996	Norway	female	#623	4	High	Verified
1995	Norway	female	#615	4	High	Verified
1994	Norway	female	#399	9	High	Verified
1993	Norway	female	#367	11	High	Verified
1992	Norway	female	#294	15	High	Verified
1991	Norway	female	#316	14	High	Verified
1990	Norway	female	#434	9	High	Verified
1989	Norway	female	#258	20	High	Verified
1988	Norway	female	#304	16	High	Verified
1987	Norway	female	#247	21	High	Verified
1986	Norway	female	#207	26	High	Verified
1985	Norway	female	#204	24	High	Verified
1984	Norway	female	#182	30	High	Verified
1983	Norway	female	#167	34	High	Verified
1982	Norway	female	#219	23	High	Verified
1981	Norway	female	#198	27	High	Verified
1980	Norway	female	#185	30	High	Verified
1979	Norway	female	#168	33	High	Verified
1978	Norway	female	#221	22	High	Verified
1977	Norway	female	#238	19	High	Verified
1976	Norway	female	#249	18	High	Verified
1975	Norway	female	#208	23	High	Verified
1974	Norway	female	#258	18	High	Verified
1973	Norway	female	#181	29	High	Verified
1972	Norway	female	#298	14	High	Verified
1971	Norway	female	#207	23	High	Verified
1970	Norway	female	#181	26	High	Verified
1969	Norway	female	#191	23	High	Verified
1968	Norway	female	#214	20	High	Verified
1967	Norway	female	#224	19	High	Verified
1966	Norway	female	#242	15	High	Verified
1965	Norway	female	#280	13	High	Verified
1964	Norway	female	#256	14	High	Verified
1963	Norway	female	#227	16	High	Verified
1962	Norway	female	#193	19	High	Verified
1961	Norway	female	#174	23	High	Verified
1960	Norway	female	#167	24	High	Verified
1959	Norway	female	#173	22	High	Verified
1958	Norway	female	#275	11	High	Verified
1957	Norway	female	#218	15	High	Verified
1956	Norway	female	#208	17	High	Verified
1955	Norway	female	#194	19	High	Verified
1954	Norway	female	#237	13	High	Verified
1953	Norway	female	#231	14	High	Verified
1952	Norway	female	#220	17	High	Verified
1951	Norway	female	#202	18	High	Verified
1950	Norway	female	#229	14	High	Verified
1949	Norway	female	#252	12	High	Verified
1948	Norway	female	#249	12	High	Verified
1947	Norway	female	#322	7	High	Verified
1946	Norway	female	#271	11	High	Verified
2023	Republic of Ireland	female	#856	3	High	Verified
2022	Republic of Ireland	female	#747	4	High	Verified
2021	Republic of Ireland	female	#883	3	High	Verified
2020	Republic of Ireland	female	#495	7	High	Verified
2019	Republic of Ireland	female	#621	5	High	Verified
2018	Republic of Ireland	female	#629	5	High	Verified
2017	Republic of Ireland	female	#734	4	High	Verified
2016	Republic of Ireland	female	#585	6	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	female	#316	15	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	female	#876	3	High	Verified
2013	Republic of Ireland	female	#747	4	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	female	#560	7	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	female	#393	12	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	female	#555	7	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	female	#439	10	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	female	#597	6	High	Verified
2006	Republic of Ireland	female	#764	3	High	Verified
2005	Republic of Ireland	female	#689	3	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	female	#655	3	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	female	#498	4	High	Verified
2000	Republic of Ireland	female	#465	4	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	female	#380	5	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	female	#363	7	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	female	#429	5	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	female	#352	7	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	female	#212	18	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	female	#356	7	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	female	#229	17	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	female	#224	17	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	female	#208	19	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	female	#171	28	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	female	#185	24	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	female	#164	31	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	female	#144	40	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	female	#123	52	High	Verified
1984	Republic of Ireland	female	#100	73	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	female	#117	58	High	Verified
1982	Republic of Ireland	female	#103	77	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	female	#78	111	High	Verified
1980	Republic of Ireland	female	#95	92	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	female	#84	103	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	female	#74	122	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	female	#71	126	High	Verified
1976	Republic of Ireland	female	#67	133	High	Verified
1975	Republic of Ireland	female	#71	128	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	female	#63	142	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	female	#67	137	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	female	#54	150	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	female	#49	172	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	female	#59	147	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	female	#56	151	High	Verified
1968	Republic of Ireland	female	#47	163	High	Verified
1967	Republic of Ireland	female	#45	151	High	Verified
1966	Republic of Ireland	female	#48	147	High	Verified
1965	Republic of Ireland	female	#45	153	High	Verified
1964	Republic of Ireland	female	#43	156	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
New South Wales, Australia hub — collected by NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
New Zealand hub — collected by NZ Department of Internal Affairs
Norway hub — collected by Statistics Norway (SSB)
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 5 registrars between 1946 and 2024, ranked in 79 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #10, first reached in 1954.

It held a top-100 place in 31 years, 30 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 448 births, registered in New South Wales, Australia in 1953.

1 registrar ranked it inside their own top 10.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1952, and 50 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Barakah · #1948, 13y
Baran · #795, 29y
Barbora · #661, 17y
Barbro · #117, 52y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 5 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Wayne · #10, 74y
Astrid · #9, 81y
Annie · #8, 81y
Pauline · #12, 74y

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1940 and 1949.

Aud · #10, 59y
Elsie · #10, 47y
Gunnar · #10, 81y
Hans · #10, 81y

Comparisons involving Barbara

Existing comparison pages where Barbara and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Barbara in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Anna vs Barbara
In 1964 they stood at #34 and #43 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 9 places apart; by 2023 they were #23 and #856.
Anna · Barbara · 56 shared years, 1964–2023 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2023 Republic of Ireland ranking
Sarah vs Barbara
In 1964 they stood at #46 and #43 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 3 places apart; by 2023 they were #62 and #856.
Sarah · Barbara · 56 shared years, 1964–2023 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2023 Republic of Ireland ranking
Maria vs Barbara
In 1964 they stood at #33 and #43 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 10 places apart; by 2023 they were #73 and #856.
Maria · Barbara · 56 shared years, 1964–2023 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2023 Republic of Ireland ranking

Order changes

Pairs where Barbara and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Karen vs Barbara
In 1955, Karen moved ahead of Barbara in New Zealand · Girls — #14 and #10 the year before became #6 and #10.
Karen · Barbara · 17 shared years, 1954–1971 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1955 New Zealand ranking
Robyn vs Barbara
In 1956, Robyn moved ahead of Barbara in New Zealand · Girls — #12 and #10 the year before became #8 and #12.
Robyn · Barbara · 17 shared years, 1954–1971 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1956 New Zealand ranking

Barbara was ranked #10 in New Zealand · Girls in 1954. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Barbara and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Barbara without appearing here.

Barbara moved ahead of

Brittany Compare
In 2005 they stood at #1589 and #1500 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2006 that had become #1660 and #3548.
Nicola Compare
In 2022 they stood at #1685 and #1282 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2023 that had become #1410 and #2689.
Geraldine Compare
In 2001 they stood at #1520 and #1170 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2002 that had become #1151 and #2301.
Kristy Compare
In 2001 they stood at #1520 and #1439 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2002 that had become #1151 and #2301.

Moved ahead of Barbara

Mila Compare
In 2002 they stood at #1151 and #1442 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2003 that had become #1325 and #799.
Mina Compare
In 2002 they stood at #1151 and #1192 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2003 that had become #1325 and #818.
Marilyn Compare
In 2023 they stood at #1410 and #2063 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2024 that had become #2000 and #1541.
Ingrid Compare
In 2014 they stood at #1299 and #1628 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2015 that had become #1452 and #1007.

Moved the opposite way to Barbara

Alice Compare
Between 1946 and 2015 in Norway · Girls, Barbara went from #271 to #543 while Alice went from #257 to #123.
Charlotte Compare
Between 1946 and 2015 in Norway · Girls, Barbara went from #271 to #543 while Charlotte went from #345 to #103.
Elise Compare
Between 1946 and 2015 in Norway · Girls, Barbara went from #271 to #543 while Elise went from #294 to #38.
Ella Compare
Between 1946 and 2015 in Norway · Girls, Barbara went from #271 to #543 while Ella went from #123 to #4.

Moved the same way as Barbara

Annie Compare
Between 1946 and 2015 in Norway · Girls, Barbara went from #271 to #543 and Annie from #192 to #334.
Åse Compare
Between 1946 and 2015 in Norway · Girls, Barbara went from #271 to #543 and Åse from #23 to #347.
Astrid Compare
Between 1946 and 2015 in Norway · Girls, Barbara went from #271 to #543 and Astrid from #16 to #43.
Aud Compare
Between 1946 and 2015 in Norway · Girls, Barbara went from #271 to #543 and Aud from #13 to #514.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 5 regions, from 1946 to 2024. Highest recorded position: #10 in New Zealand in 1955. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Barbara

Barbara at a glance

What stands out in Barbara's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Barbara across 5 official records

Barbara by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Barbara appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Comparisons involving Barbara

Longest shared records

Order changes

Names published alongside Barbara

Barbara and the names beside it

Barbara moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Barbara

Moved the opposite way to Barbara

Moved the same way as Barbara

Barbara at a glance

What stands out in Barbara's record

Barbara across 5 official records

Barbara by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Barbara appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1940s

Comparisons involving Barbara

Longest shared records

Order changes

Names published alongside Barbara

Barbara and the names beside it

Barbara moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Barbara

Moved the opposite way to Barbara

Moved the same way as Barbara