Is Barbara a boy or girl name?
Barbara is a girl name in the US. In 2024, 313 girls and 0 boys were named Barbara, so 100% were girls. Across 1880–2024, 99.7% of the 1,440,537 US babies named Barbara were girls.
- Boy rank, 2024
- Not ranked
- Girl rank, 2024
- #860
- Babies named Barbara since 1880
- 1,440,537
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 48,889 babies
Boys and girls named Barbara, by decade
| Decade | Boys | Girls | Share girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0 | 1,820 | 100% |
| 1890s | 0 | 2,783 | 100% |
| 1900s | 0 | 3,999 | 100% |
| 1910s | 32 | 23,704 | 99.9% |
| 1920s | 261 | 97,210 | 99.7% |
| 1930s | 1,188 | 296,419 | 99.6% |
| 1940s | 1,158 | 425,267 | 99.7% |
| 1950s | 692 | 345,723 | 99.8% |
| 1960s | 504 | 159,774 | 99.7% |
| 1970s | 162 | 42,238 | 99.6% |
| 1980s | 112 | 19,138 | 99.4% |
| 1990s | 26 | 8,855 | 99.7% |
| 2000s | 0 | 4,721 | 100% |
| 2010s | 0 | 3,256 | 100% |
| 2020s | 0 | 1,495 | 100% |
Every year
| Year | Boys | Boy rank | Girls | Girl rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0 | – | 313 | #860 |
| 2023 | 0 | – | 307 | #876 |
| 2022 | 0 | – | 276 | #966 |
| 2021 | 0 | – | 299 | #904 |
| 2020 | 0 | – | 300 | #887 |
| 2019 | 0 | – | 287 | #922 |
| 2018 | 0 | – | 291 | #920 |
| 2017 | 0 | – | 301 | #894 |
| 2016 | 0 | – | 329 | #855 |
| 2015 | 0 | – | 327 | #853 |
| 2014 | 0 | – | 325 | #849 |
| 2013 | 0 | – | 321 | #831 |
| 2012 | 0 | – | 296 | #894 |
| 2011 | 0 | – | 369 | #746 |
| 2010 | 0 | – | 410 | #696 |
| 2009 | 0 | – | 465 | #639 |
| 2008 | 0 | – | 396 | #749 |
| 2007 | 0 | – | 481 | #619 |
| 2006 | 0 | – | 550 | #539 |
| 2005 | 0 | – | 411 | #676 |
| 2004 | 0 | – | 437 | #624 |
| 2003 | 0 | – | 437 | #614 |
| 2002 | 0 | – | 509 | #541 |
| 2001 | 0 | – | 502 | #533 |
| 2000 | 0 | – | 533 | #506 |
| 1999 | 0 | – | 560 | #470 |
| 1998 | 0 | – | 578 | #447 |
| 1997 | 0 | – | 700 | #378 |
| 1996 | 0 | – | 682 | #388 |
| 1995 | 0 | – | 758 | #347 |
| 1994 | 0 | – | 871 | #312 |
| 1993 | 5 | #8,819 | 951 | #291 |
| 1992 | 7 | #6,728 | 1,128 | #247 |
| 1991 | 9 | #5,555 | 1,239 | #229 |
| 1990 | 5 | #8,226 | 1,388 | #207 |
| 1989 | 10 | #4,844 | 1,493 | #186 |
| 1988 | 9 | #4,818 | 1,506 | #185 |
| 1987 | 9 | #4,600 | 1,632 | #172 |
| 1986 | 8 | #4,889 | 1,488 | #180 |
| 1985 | 11 | #3,821 | 1,677 | #169 |
| 1984 | 18 | #2,622 | 1,866 | #152 |
| 1983 | 9 | #4,159 | 2,020 | #143 |
| 1982 | 11 | #3,707 | 2,348 | #130 |
| 1981 | 14 | #3,041 | 2,531 | #119 |
| 1980 | 13 | #3,275 | 2,577 | #120 |
| 1979 | 15 | #2,915 | 2,493 | #123 |
| 1978 | 8 | #4,184 | 2,579 | #113 |
| 1977 | 16 | #2,670 | 2,845 | #100 |
| 1976 | 9 | #3,744 | 2,968 | #98 |
| 1975 | 18 | #2,369 | 3,454 | #83 |
| 1974 | 12 | #2,962 | 3,906 | #77 |
| 1973 | 11 | #3,033 | 4,434 | #63 |
| 1972 | 22 | #1,934 | 5,079 | #58 |
| 1971 | 27 | #1,710 | 6,454 | #47 |
| 1970 | 24 | #1,799 | 8,026 | #41 |
| 1969 | 31 | #1,442 | 8,811 | #39 |
| 1968 | 34 | #1,314 | 9,741 | #36 |
| 1967 | 43 | #1,133 | 11,204 | #33 |
| 1966 | 45 | #1,100 | 13,123 | #27 |
| 1965 | 42 | #1,164 | 14,023 | #25 |
| 1964 | 49 | #1,083 | 16,483 | #19 |
| 1963 | 64 | #937 | 18,295 | #17 |
| 1962 | 76 | #870 | 20,641 | #14 |
| 1961 | 56 | #1,042 | 22,998 | #12 |
| 1960 | 64 | #944 | 24,455 | #12 |
| 1959 | 67 | #940 | 25,357 | #11 |
| 1958 | 59 | #994 | 27,877 | #9 |
| 1957 | 68 | #919 | 29,691 | #9 |
| 1956 | 75 | #866 | 32,302 | #9 |
| 1955 | 80 | #819 | 33,616 | #7 |
| 1954 | 57 | #984 | 36,369 | #7 |
| 1953 | 72 | #847 | 38,474 | #6 |
| 1952 | 74 | #814 | 39,863 | #6 |
| 1951 | 70 | #838 | 40,619 | #5 |
| 1950 | 70 | #814 | 41,555 | #4 |
| 1949 | 67 | #836 | 42,599 | #4 |
| 1948 | 76 | #783 | 46,824 | #3 |
| 1947 | 89 | #727 | 48,800 | #4 |
| 1946 | 109 | #615 | 45,125 | #4 |
| 1945 | 87 | #649 | 38,274 | #3 |
| 1944 | 121 | #549 | 39,196 | #2 |
| 1943 | 150 | #506 | 43,432 | #2 |
| 1942 | 164 | #478 | 44,739 | #2 |
| 1941 | 155 | #473 | 39,543 | #2 |
| 1940 | 140 | #489 | 36,735 | #2 |
| 1939 | 150 | #468 | 37,257 | #2 |
| 1938 | 162 | #454 | 39,277 | #2 |
| 1937 | 144 | #468 | 34,917 | #2 |
| 1936 | 110 | #547 | 31,682 | #3 |
| 1935 | 124 | #517 | 30,697 | #3 |
| 1934 | 118 | #543 | 29,239 | #3 |
| 1933 | 119 | #519 | 26,949 | #3 |
| 1932 | 103 | #583 | 26,318 | #3 |
| 1931 | 84 | #650 | 21,803 | #4 |
| 1930 | 74 | #739 | 18,280 | #6 |
| 1929 | 63 | #817 | 16,038 | #7 |
| 1928 | 44 | #1,041 | 14,872 | #8 |
| 1927 | 41 | #1,113 | 13,161 | #10 |
| 1926 | 35 | #1,222 | 11,079 | #16 |
| 1925 | 26 | #1,454 | 9,155 | #22 |
| 1924 | 12 | #2,482 | 8,305 | #28 |
| 1923 | 10 | #2,781 | 7,209 | #33 |
| 1922 | 10 | #2,816 | 6,272 | #40 |
| 1921 | 11 | #2,646 | 6,013 | #40 |
| 1920 | 9 | #2,983 | 5,106 | #47 |
| 1919 | 7 | #3,424 | 4,084 | #60 |
| 1918 | 7 | #3,394 | 4,224 | #60 |
| 1917 | 6 | #3,586 | 3,535 | #67 |
| 1916 | 5 | #3,948 | 3,112 | #74 |
| 1915 | 0 | – | 2,704 | #83 |
| 1914 | 0 | – | 2,061 | #82 |
| 1913 | 7 | #2,293 | 1,451 | #94 |
| 1912 | 0 | – | 1,184 | #102 |
| 1911 | 0 | – | 737 | #119 |
| 1910 | 0 | – | 612 | #136 |
| 1909 | 0 | – | 567 | #126 |
| 1908 | 0 | – | 514 | #135 |
| 1907 | 0 | – | 515 | #129 |
| 1906 | 0 | – | 413 | #142 |
| 1905 | 0 | – | 366 | #154 |
| 1904 | 0 | – | 357 | #151 |
| 1903 | 0 | – | 346 | #151 |
| 1902 | 0 | – | 306 | #163 |
| 1901 | 0 | – | 277 | #164 |
| 1900 | 0 | – | 338 | #162 |
| 1899 | 0 | – | 273 | #165 |
| 1898 | 0 | – | 304 | #164 |
| 1897 | 0 | – | 299 | #153 |
| 1896 | 0 | – | 324 | #145 |
| 1895 | 0 | – | 298 | #150 |
| 1894 | 0 | – | 290 | #151 |
| 1893 | 0 | – | 255 | #155 |
| 1892 | 0 | – | 278 | #147 |
| 1891 | 0 | – | 221 | #152 |
| 1890 | 0 | – | 241 | #147 |
| 1889 | 0 | – | 246 | #140 |
| 1888 | 0 | – | 253 | #135 |
| 1887 | 0 | – | 204 | #132 |
| 1886 | 0 | – | 207 | #133 |
| 1885 | 0 | – | 195 | #129 |
| 1884 | 0 | – | 193 | #128 |
| 1883 | 0 | – | 135 | #142 |
| 1882 | 0 | – | 130 | #138 |
| 1881 | 0 | – | 130 | #124 |
| 1880 | 0 | – | 127 | #128 |
Highest rank
As a boy name, Barbara reached #454 in 1938. As a girl name, it reached #2 in 1937. Ranks count every name SSA published for that year and sex, so they go well past the top 1,000.
Names from the same era
These names were also most popular in the 1940s, with a similar number of babies. They can work as sibling or middle names that feel like they belong together.
Names spelled like Barbara
Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880–2024. Counts are Social Security card applications for US births; SSA leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year. Updated 2026-10-05. How these numbers are made.