Fun Facts About the Name Barbi
- 586 babies named Barbi: U.S. records list 586 babies given the name Barbi from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Barbi Mean?
Barbi is a variant spelling of Barbie, a short form of the name Barbara. Barbara comes from Latin barbara, the feminine of barbarus, which was borrowed from Greek barbaros. That Greek word meant "non-Greek," "foreign," or "strange," and it began as an imitation of speech that Greeks could not understand: foreign languages sounded to them like "bar-bar." The literal sense of the root is "foreign" or "barbarian," while the customary meaning given to the name is "stranger" or "foreign woman." The final -i reflects a diminutive spelling used in several European languages; English more often writes the ending -ie or -y, as in Barbie.
Barbi Name History & Origins
Barbara became a personal name in Christian Europe through the veneration of Saint Barbara, a martyr whose traditional legend places her in the third or fourth century. Churches and chapels dedicated to her helped carry the name through medieval Europe, and it took different forms in different languages: Barbe and Barbara in French, Barbara in German and Italian, and Borbála in Hungarian.
Short forms grew up separately in each language. Hungarian uses Barbi as an affectionate short form of Borbála, and the same spelling is also used in German and Finnish. In English, the usual short form was written Barbie or Barbi, both derived from Barbara. The spelling Barbie became widely familiar in the twentieth century through the Mattel doll introduced in 1959, which was named after Barbara Handler; that modern association belongs to the doll and does not account for the earlier use of the short form.
How Popular is the Name Barbi?
Barbi has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1975. Its best rank was #2,098 in 1975.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | #11,481 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #10,824 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #9,243 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #6,261 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #6,403 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #3,441 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1980 | #2,804 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 1979 | #3,448 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1978 | #2,805 | 29 | 0.0019% |
| 1977 | #3,006 | 26 | 0.0017% |
| 1976 | #2,669 | 29 | 0.0020% |
| 1975 | #2,098 | 41 | 0.0028% |
| 1974 | #2,929 | 24 | 0.0016% |
| 1973 | #4,598 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #4,809 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #3,174 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1970 | #2,452 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1969 | #5,488 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #3,621 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1967 | #3,096 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1966 | #2,591 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1965 | #3,412 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1964 | #2,355 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1963 | #3,183 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1962 | #2,931 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1961 | #2,758 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1960 | #2,743 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1959 | #3,450 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1958 | #3,944 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1957 | #3,952 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1956 | #4,488 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1955 | #4,397 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #3,994 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1953 | #2,933 | 14 | 0.0007% |
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 Barbi 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.
✦ Barbi's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Barbi's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.