Barbaa
An Arabic feminine name meaning "brilliant, shining one".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Barbaa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Barbaa today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Barbaa births was 1947 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Barbaa. 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 Barbaa is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Barbaas were born before 1964.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Barbaa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1947
7 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1958 SSA rank
#4,929
Tracked since 1947
Popularity
Barbaa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Barbaa from the 1940s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 7 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
Barbaa 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 Barbaa 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 Barbaa
Barbaa is a unique and intriguing name with its origins shrouded in mystery and antiquity. It is believed to have originated from the ancient Sumerian language, spoken in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around the 3rd millennium BCE. The name's roots can be traced back to the Sumerian word "bar," which means "son" or "offspring," and "baa," which signifies "father" or "creator." Thus, the name Barbaa could be interpreted as "son of the creator" or "offspring of the father."
This name's earliest known appearance is found in cuneiform inscriptions on clay tablets from the city-state of Uruk, one of the oldest cities in Mesopotamia. These ancient records suggest that Barbaa was a name given to individuals of high rank or importance within the Sumerian society. However, the specific details surrounding the first bearers of this name have been lost to the sands of time.
One of the earliest notable figures associated with the name Barbaa was a Sumerian high priest who lived around 2500 BCE. His name has been recorded on several temple inscriptions, and he is believed to have played a significant role in the religious and cultural life of the city-state of Uruk. Unfortunately, little else is known about this historical figure beyond his name and approximate time period.
In the 2nd millennium BCE, a Babylonian scribe named Barbaa is mentioned in the epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known works of literature. This scribe is credited with transcribing the epic onto clay tablets, preserving this ancient tale for future generations. While details about his life are scarce, his name has been immortalized in this timeless literary work.
During the Neo-Babylonian period, around the 6th century BCE, a renowned astronomer and mathematician named Barbaa is believed to have lived. His contributions to the study of the night sky and celestial bodies were highly regarded, and his name was recorded in various astronomical texts and calculations from that era.
Another notable figure bearing the name Barbaa was a Persian warrior who fought alongside Cyrus the Great during the expansion of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BCE. This fearless soldier is said to have played a pivotal role in several decisive battles, earning him a place in the historical accounts of that time.
While the name Barbaa may have faded from common use over the centuries, its ancient origins and historical significance remain a fascinating testament to the enduring legacy of Sumerian culture and language.
People
Barbaa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Barbaa 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
Barbaa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Barbaa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Barbaa 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Barbaa a common name?
We classify Barbaa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Barbaa most popular?
The single biggest year for Barbaa was 1947, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Barbaa is about 72 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 Barbaa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Barbaa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Barbaa 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 Barbaa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Barbaa 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 Barbaa 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 Americans are named Barbaa?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Barbaa at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.