To think Barbara is a lovely name.

[Misscromwellrocks]

A friend's daughter has just called her new daughter Barbara. A few people have wrinkled their noses, but I think it's a lovely vintage Enid Blytonish name.

AIBU?

I didn´t realise hating Barbara was a "thing" now. I'm not sure it would be on my shortlist, but I don't see anything wrong with it.

But of course Greater.

We built our own inspirational home from glass, scaffolding and woven lentils in the middle of an otherwise lovely rural area. And publicly forage for food and roadkill between Waitrose trips. The locals are so awed by how unique and special we are they barely speak to us.

The billy goats we tell people produce our milk cheese are called Phyllis and Judas.

i think it's quite a common name in Brazil

Hate it. Hate barbs even more. Urgh

I've never met a Barbara who wasn't wholly and completely lovely but it's a sort of middle aged name to me. Think it could grow on me though

My 38 year old sister is called Barbara and she hates it- goes by Babs.
My 5 year old has a boy Brian in his class at school

My mother has never been called Babs or Bar.Names don't have to be shortened. She's over 80.

I like it and think it’s due for a come back.

Whilst I don't much like the name, I love that it's unusual (now) without being yoonique.

And I loved Barbara in Call the Midwife

My 6yo daughter has a Winnie and a Constance (Connie) in her class at school.

It’s funny how names go in and out of fashion. I (a child of the 80s) had several Kevin’s, Tracey’s, Kerry’s and Helen’s in my class at school but you hardly hear those names today.

Now I’ve never met a Valerie who was younger than 50

Yes I think Barbara in CTM typifies the name.

I wouldn’t use it personally, but I have a friend my age (40ish) called Barbara and she’s very cool.

I know a Barabra who likes to be called babs, this puts me off the name. Lovely lady though.

Andromeda I know a very cool 40 something Valerie too! Admittedly neither is English.

There was a girl at my school called barbra all the boys called her bra face poor kid

It’s awful sorry. 😂

I think it is about 20 years off a revival, I have noticed it tended to be a 90-100 year turn around , all the names of the old ladies and gents I looked after in the 90's and we laughed at as ugly are the names young people are choosing for their children now, I choose my sons names deliberately from the "wrong" era for my theory in the hope that when they hit their 20's their names will be starting to get popular and I have to admit I am already hearing in the last year a couple of babies with one sons names and they both turn up in the MN naming threads and are no longer being chucked out as awful.

It was the name of two of my dearly loved and missed relatives, so I really like it! I wondered if David and Victoria Mitchell would give it a revival.

Not keen on Barbara.

I love Jacqueline though

I was very close to buying a female dog i was going to call Barbara. We got the make in the end.

(Outing maybe)My son (he’s in his 20s but not planning on kids yet) announced he wants his kids to have our names. Jane and blooming John. Yes we gave our kids “unusual” but not yooonique names.

It’s not great.. but then better than yet another Amelia/Evie/Olivia

My, very beautiful and cool, bf is called Barbra, her Father is a fan of Barbra Streisand.
It suits her.
I think it was probably more common in 1953 not 1963.

I like it. I wouldn't say it's a lovely name but it's a strong and uncommon one at the moment.

For me it conjures up a feisty toddler who grows up to be the kind of teenager the girls want to be and the boys want to be with and then a fiercely successful and independent woman.