Could Barbara work as an honour name?

[SDtome]

Thoughts on Barbara? Could it work? There's an amazing woman in my life that I really admire named Barbara (goes by Barb), and I'd love to honour her. DH is supportive of the idea. The only potential problem that I can see is that the Barb in my life was born in the 1970s, so the name would have been much more common during that time. I do wonder if bullying should be a concern because it's not a very fashionable name at the moment (and probably won't be for at least a decade or longer). I worry that our daughter might not be able to pull it off and will hate her name.

I don’t think that your DD would be bullied for being called Barbara, even if it is currently an unpopular name.

Babies are given such a wide variety of names these days that one more unusual name in the class won’t stand out in the way it might have 30+ years ago.

I love it actually! Nicknames you need to be ok with: Barbie, Babs. You won’t get to decide what her school friends call her.

I agree with this completely. This 'honour' business is strange and really overrated. I too was born in 1971 and only much older people were called Barbara. It's dead frumpy.

I think it’s quite cool.

Dylan Sprouse’s very glamorous beautiful wife is called Barbara

It will come back into fashion, most names do.
I remember being aghast in the 80s that someone i knew called their son Alfie az it was a family name. Now you can't move for them.
I wonder if the posters trying so hard to think of the most ugly 'old man/lady name' they csn to saddle their child with would have described Clarence or Edith as 'gorgeous' 20 years ago?

I know a Barbara that was born int he 70s she despises her name and uses her middle name on everything - hers was also an honour name and she said it was old fashioned then.
honestly for me it’s not one of those names that will come back as it’s just not a particularly nice name - I can’t imagine using it for a child

With all the old names coming back, naming after grandparents, I bet it won't be long till Barbara makes a come back too along with other names of that era like Carol and Maureen. It's does sound dated now but if that person is special to you, why not? I had a friend whose middle name was Barbara because apparently it was tradition in their family to always give the mothers name as the first born daughters middle name, her brother also bore his fathers name as his middle name.

This is a very odd attitude since names tend to go in and out of fashion and you will end up with people of all ages with the same name. My grandmother's name was Lily, it wasn't uncommon in her generation. My mum had a great aunt called Phoebe which she always thought was an old-fashioned name, but we come across baby Phoebes all the time! By far the most common name we come across at baby groups is Mabel, hardly a name that you would primarily have associated with babies, especially before the last few years.

DD has a friend Barbara who is a teenager, DH has a relative called Barbara who is in her 50s, and I had a Great Aunt who would be in her 120s if she was still alive. Obviously it was very popular in the 50s and 60s but it's not a single generation name.

I like it. Barbara is my mum's best friend. They are 89. I''m 65 and knew two Barbaras of my age. All three Barbaras are among the nicest people I have known.

Mum's friends were/are: Anita, Marian, Patricia, Shirley, Joan, Silvia, probably all due a come back.

Who'd have thought: Nell, Martha, Mabel, Flo, Edith, Ivy, etc, would have come back.

If you do it you’ll be ahead of the trend- I’m certain Barbara will come back in the next decade or so. I know two woman who seriously considered it for their daughters (both in the last couple of years).

Edgy creative younger friends have a baby Barbara.. It's joyful!

I know two Barbaras that really hate their name. One Barb and one Babs. I would check that Barb likes her name first.

My friend has just chosen the name Mildred … for her cat!

It might be due a come back. Barbie for short 😊

A lot of names that were considered dated have come back, so why not? But if you're unsure, do it as a middle.

Barbarella is another cute alternative the 60s shop

I think Victoria Coren Mitchell has a daughter called Barbara.

i like it and the nickname could be Bebe or Bee.

I know a little Barbara. She is adopted and her parents kept her birth name but she’s normally referred to as BeBe, or Bea now she’s a teenager. Not one Id choose though!

I think it is a name that can be 'cute' or 'formal' so suitable for a CEO or a baby. A bit like Margaret or Dorothy.
For what it's worth, I know a teen Barbra, maybe a bit edgier and named in honour of Barbra Streisand!

I actually think it’s a great choice and ahead of the curve.

also, French - I don’t understand why you would mention this,
what has one to do with the other?

Barbara, Susan, Yvonne, Gaynor, Lorna, Michelle, Helen, Kathleen, Ann/e, Wendy, Jennifer, Valerie, Jane, Diane, Carol, Elizabeth, Margaret, Jean, Eileen, Irene, Patricia, Pauline, Linda, Janice, Joyce, Sandra, Mary,

50’s names, of their time,
many in multiples, chosen by a form of mass hysteria,
everyone I know has an Aunty Pat
nowadays we are more imaginitive and far reaching,
as you described your friend’s choice of names

Barbara is a heavy name, sounds too much like barbarian
and means ‘dark stranger’

I don't think that's true. I like my name, but it's shortened by most people, I don't object because a) I think it's churlish & b) I'm also a name shortener!!

Doesn't mean I don't like my name!

@SDtome it's dated, but cute little girls bring names back into fashion. I dislike Barb & detest Barbie so I'd probably use it as a middle name because I couldn't not shorten it myself, let alone expect no one else to.

The only Barbara I know was born in the 1950s.

But I understand that the name sees more use in some countries like Poland where it's considered a classic name and it doesn't have the "granny name" rep that does in the UK.

I think it's usable. I can't see her being bullied for it. Classrooms are so diverse nowadays in terms of names. And I think a lot of young girls would love to have the nickname Barbie.

If you like it, use it. It’s a classic name and those critical don’t grasp the idea of timeless