Barbara

From Namespedia - Names Meaning and Origins

Name: Barbara

Gender: Feminine

Location: Europe

Language: Greek

Thematic: Ancient

Meaning: From the Greek "barbaros" meaning foreign or strange, traveler from a foreign land.

Comments: Languages: This girl's name is used in German, Dutch, English, Italian, French, Spanish and Polish.

Nicknames: Babette, Barb, Barbar, Barbie, Bebe, Bibi and Babs

Compound Forms: Barbraann and Barbara-Rose

Alternative Spellings: Barbera

Variant Forms: Babara, Barabara, Barbarit, Barbarita, Barbeeleen, Barbette, Barbra and Barbel

Non-English Forms: Barbro, Varvara, Barbora and Borbála

Narrative: This word was originally used to describe anyone who did not speak Greek. It might have originated as an approximation of unintelligible babble, similar in use to the modern American expression blah-blah-blah.