Babbie
A diminutive form of the name Barbara, derived from Greek meaning "foreign, strange".
Name Census estimates that about 67 living Americans carry the first name Babbie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Babbie today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Babbie births was 1960 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Babbie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Babbie is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Babbies were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Babbie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
67
~ 1 in 5,115,736 Americans
Peak year
1960
20 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1962 SSA rank
#4,888
Tracked since 1956
Popularity
Babbie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Babbie from the 1950s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 46 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Babbie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Babbie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Babbie
The given name Babbie is a variant of the name Barbara, which has its origins in the Greek language. The name Barbara is derived from the Greek word "barbaros," meaning "foreign" or "strange." This name was initially given to women who were considered outsiders or from a foreign land.
In the Middle Ages, the name Barbara became closely associated with the legend of Saint Barbara, a 3rd-century Christian martyr. According to the legend, Saint Barbara was a young woman who was executed by her father for converting to Christianity. Her story and martyrdom helped popularize the name across Europe during this period.
The variant spelling "Babbie" emerged in the 16th century, particularly in Scotland and parts of England. It was a diminutive form of the name Barbara, often used as a pet name or nickname. This spelling was relatively common in these regions during the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Babbie was Babbie Langie, a Scottish woman from the 16th century who was accused of witchcraft in 1591. Another notable figure was Babbie Mason, a Scottish woman who was tried for infanticide in 1687.
In literature, the name Babbie appears in the novel "The Little Minister" by J.M. Barrie, published in 1891. The novel's protagonist, a young woman named Babbie, plays a significant role in the story's events.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the name Babbie:
1. Babbie Langie (fl. 1591), a Scottish woman accused of witchcraft.
2. Babbie Mason (fl. 1687), a Scottish woman tried for infanticide.
3. Babbie Rendell (1886-1969), an Australian feminist and social reformer.
4. Babbie Orr (1893-1986), a Scottish artist known for her landscape paintings.
5. Babbie Earl (1905-1983), an American actress and dancer who appeared in Broadway musicals and films.
While the name Babbie is not as common today as its parent name Barbara, it has a rich history rooted in various cultures and time periods, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who have borne this name.
People
Babbie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Babbie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Babbie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Babbie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 67 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Babbie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,115,736 US residents.
Is Babbie a common name?
We classify Babbie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 88 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Babbie most popular?
The single biggest year for Babbie was 1960, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Babbie is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Babbie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Babbie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Babbie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Babbie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Babbie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Babbie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Babbie as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Babbie, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.