Barbara

[user2468101214]

Due little girl April 2024

Always had a soft spot for the name.

I understand it's following the 'old granny' comeback trend.

(I may be thinking too deeply but can see this name becoming more popular soon due to new Barbie film)

Thoughts please? TIA

What a lot of extreme language on this thread! Horrific? Really? It's just a name. I've known several Barbaras my age (early 60s now) but I think its heyday in the UK and the US was a bit earlier. Like my own name, it was a lot less popular by the 1960s, but still popped up.

Names of girls in my year at secondary school: Caroline, Kate (Katherine), Jane, Kathy (Kathryn), Rebecca, Gillian, Lesley, Lianne, Sue (Suzanne), Sally, Anita, Claire, Julia, Margaret, Becky (Rebecca), Cathy (Catherine), Clare, Rosalind, Suzanne, Fiona, Alison, Susan, Nicola, Charlotte, Amanda, Janet, Hilary, Ginny (Virginia), Barbara, Michelle, Shirley, Victoria, Judith, Jocelyn, Joanne, Joanna, Tracy, Sharon, Tanya, Rosemary, Leigh, Jacqueline, Carol, Elizabeth, Emma, Ruth, Diane, Helen, Jill, Kay, Kirstie, Angela, Deborah, Julie, Sarah, Pamela, Katrina, Kirsty. (I have a list from a reunion. I've omitted a couple of unusual names.)

Also, if we're looking for precious stones to use as baby names, I wonder why Onyx has never caught on. I rather like it. Jasper is underused too.

Yes, Jasper is a nice name. I once taught an Emerald, which I thought was lovely.

I said that regularly and have the most innocuous classic name you can imagine. Love it now, simple and elegant. Teenager behaviour.

Indeed I am called one of the most popular names of recent decades yet still announced to my mother I wanted to be called a different name. It lasted a day.

There was supposed to be a full stop after that Indeed by the way…

It’s a no from me but that’s because I have a horrible aunt of that name. Also the shortening Babs is awful

I adore Barbara. It was on our list for dd, along with Shirley and Maureen. We went with Shirley in the end, but Barbara would definitely be in the running if we're lucky enough to have another.

Lovely name

Sorry OP, but It's ghastly. Right up there with Ethel. I can't imagine if I had a baby named Barbara and everyone cooing over her when she's first born "ooh baby Barbara aren't you cute!!" It's just weird

But you don't name a baby, you name a person. I think, particularly with girls, this leads to all the "cutesy" names which don't suit adults.

I like Barbara.

Horrible . Very harsh sounding name .

I like it it makes me laugh
not sure your child would thank you in later life for calling her that though

100% NO!!!!

I think context is everything - the Barbara I know is Portuguese with long dark hair and lovely accent. Barbara Mitchell is born into a family of actors / writers / presenters and professional poker players…. Pretty cool. It all off-sets the frumpiness of the name in the same way Pearl Lowe off-set her old fashioned name with a rock and roll lifestyle ( although I think Pearl is much nicer than Barbara). If you live in suburbia and you have quite an ordinary lifestyle then it’s not elevated at all.

Mabel and Elsie have become quite common, and I don't think they're any more attractive as names.

I have an Auntie Babs, Auntie Barbara (not a real aunt but that's what we call her) and an Auntie Beryl. Not horrific names, just a bit old fashioned.

Brilliant name 😁

Plenty of good associations with the name Barbara. Here are three.

Barbara Stanwyck - if you've never seen Double Indemnity, you should. Terrific actor.
Barbra Streisand (N.B. spelling is her choice)
Barbara Castle, Labour politician - we owe her a lot - seatbelts, breathalysers, other road safety measures -and the Equal Pay Act! a huge step forward for women. Many other achievements.

Barbara Broccoli
Barbara Windsor
Barbara Bach
Barbara Bush
Barbara Royle

Barbara Castle, yes @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g .
A very underrated politician.

Someone I knew called her cat Barbara and we all fell about laughing.
However I think it’s quite okay for a little girl and is a name that suits older women, too.

I don’t think it’s going to get wildly popular due to the barbie movie but those types of names will start being used again so likely to get more popular. I think it’s fine. I think it’s brilliant as a cat name though!

It probably is coming back

It’s ok. Barbie is a nice nn