Barbara

Where the name comes from

• Greek, via Latin
  foreign, strange; “stranger”
  Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros) ‘foreign’; Barbara is the feminine of Latin barbarus
  Yonge (1884) glosses it “stranger” (p. 117, in the chapter “Christian Greek Names”). Etymonline suggests, hedged with “presumably”, that for a woman “alien” could be read as “exotic”; this is a guess, not an attested motive. The name spread through the legend of St. Barbara. DMNES: “The name was never common in the early Middle Ages.”

Barbara across traditions

• Christian (Western and Eastern churches). St. Barbara is a legendary martyr of the 3rd or early 4th century (about 1,700–1,825 years ago) and one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, important in both the western and eastern churches (DMNES). Her cult grew from the 7th century (etymonline). In legend her father Dioscorus shut her in a tower and was later struck by lightning. She is patroness of architects, builders, artillerymen and firefighters. Her feast, December 4, is not officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, and scholars doubt she existed.
• European. Medieval and early modern forms include Barbary (the common Middle English form), French Barbe, Spanish Barbola (1576), Catalan Barbera (1510), Estonian-area Barbala, and Dutch Barbel/Berbel (DMNES; etymonline). Yonge lists Barba for Illyrian, Spanish, English and Slavonic use, and Barbara for German, Italian and Russian. Royal bearers include a 15th-century Holy Roman Empress and a 16th-century queen of Poland (DMNES).
• United States (SSA). Combined births in the seven SSA decade tables: 566,871 girls. Peak decade: 1950s, at #6 (345,722 births). Later ranks: #21 (1960s), #76 (1970s), #154 (1980s). Not in the top 200 after the 1980s.

Who carried it

• Saint Barbara (3rd or early 4th century (about 1,700–1,825 years ago); legendary): Virgin martyr and one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers; her legend made Barbara a Christian name. Sources differ on the century, and scholars doubt she existed.
• Barbara, Holy Roman Empress (15th century): Listed by DMNES as a royal bearer of the name.
• Barbara, queen of Poland (16th century): Listed by DMNES as a royal bearer of the name.

Forms in other languages

Barbary, Barbe, Barba, Barbola, Barbera, Barbala, Berbel

Barbara in letter-number systems

Hebrew, Greek and other traditions gave every letter a number, and read meaning into the totals. These are the counts, computed; the readings are inside the Innerverse.