Fun Facts About the Name Barb
- More than 3 thousand babies named Barb: U.S. records list 3,853 babies given the name Barb from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Barb Mean?
Barb is a short form of Barbara, a feminine name that comes from Latin barbara, the feminine form of barbarus, meaning "foreign" or "barbarous." That Latin word was borrowed from Greek bárbaros, which originally described someone who did not speak Greek; the Greek term echoes the sound of speech a Greek speaker could not understand (bar-bar). The literal sense is therefore "foreign" or "speaker of a foreign language," and the customary meaning given to the name is "foreign woman" or "stranger." The English common noun barb, meaning a sharp point or a cutting remark, is unrelated: it comes from Latin barba, "beard."
Barb Name History & Origins
The parent name Barbara was carried by a saint traditionally said to have been martyred in the third or fourth century, venerated in both the Eastern and Western churches and counted among the Fourteen Holy Helpers in medieval Europe. Her cult spread widely, and the name became common in Christian countries across Europe, entering English from Latin and medieval French forms. Because of this spread, Barbara appears in many vernacular shapes, including Italian and Spanish Bárbara, French Barbe, German Barbara, and the English variant spelling Barbra.
Barb itself is an English shortening of Barbara, made by clipping the name to its first syllable. This kind of clipped diminutive is common in English, and Barb coexists with other shortenings of the same name, such as Barbie and Babs. Barb is used as a given name chiefly in English-speaking countries, and it functions as a short form of both the usual spelling Barbara and the variant Barbra.
How Popular is the Name Barb?
Barb recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1960. Its best rank was #440 in 1960.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | #5,506 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1971 | #4,559 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1970 | #2,782 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1969 | #2,458 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1968 | #2,129 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 1967 | #1,362 | 65 | 0.0039% |
| 1966 | #1,213 | 78 | 0.0046% |
| 1965 | #815 | 149 | 0.0084% |
| 1964 | #682 | 225 | 0.0119% |
| 1963 | #617 | 267 | 0.0139% |
| 1962 | #522 | 351 | 0.0178% |
| 1961 | #459 | 452 | 0.0224% |
| 1960 | #440 | 493 | 0.0244% |
| 1959 | #445 | 464 | 0.0229% |
| 1958 | #454 | 440 | 0.0219% |
| 1957 | #564 | 290 | 0.0142% |
| 1956 | #879 | 128 | 0.0064% |
| 1955 | #1,406 | 51 | 0.0026% |
| 1954 | #1,989 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1953 | #2,239 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1952 | #3,214 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1951 | #4,042 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1950 | #2,444 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1949 | #1,769 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 1948 | #1,711 | 30 | 0.0018% |
| 1947 | #1,577 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1946 | #1,588 | 31 | 0.0020% |
| 1945 | #2,071 | 17 | 0.0013% |
| 1944 | #2,100 | 17 | 0.0013% |
| 1943 | #2,262 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1942 | #2,222 | 16 | 0.0012% |
| 1941 | #3,047 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1938 | #3,883 | 6 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with B
Short Girl Names That Start with B
How the Name Barb Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Barb's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Barb's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.