Find out how popular the last name Barbara is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Barbara.

Barbara, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Barbara surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barbara in America

Barbara is the 10704th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barbara surname appeared 2,986 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Barbara.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barbara to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Barbara

The surname Barbara is of Italian origin, derived from the personal name Barbara, which is derived from the Greek word "barbaros" meaning "foreign" or "strange". The name Barbara was originally used to refer to non-Greeks or foreigners. It gained popularity as a personal name during the Middle Ages, particularly after the veneration of St. Barbara, a 3rd-century martyr.

The earliest recorded use of Barbara as a surname dates back to the 13th century in Italy. It is believed to have initially been a descriptive surname, referring to someone who was considered foreign or strange. Over time, it became an inherited surname passed down through families.

In Italy, the surname Barbara is most commonly found in the regions of Campania, Lazio, and Sicily. It is also present in other parts of southern Italy, as well as in some areas of central and northern Italy. The name may have been adopted by families with ancestors who migrated from one region to another within Italy.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Barbara was Giovanni Barbara, a Sicilian nobleman who lived in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Antonio Barbara, a 16th-century Venetian diplomat and writer.

In the 17th century, the surname Barbara was found in various records and documents, including the Catasto Onciario, a census and land registry conducted in the Kingdom of Sicily in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

During the 18th century, several individuals with the surname Barbara gained prominence in various fields. One such person was Francesco Barbara, an Italian architect and painter active in the late 18th century. Another was Giuseppe Barbara, a composer and music teacher from Naples, who lived from 1768 to 1835.

In the 19th century, the surname Barbara was carried by individuals such as Luigi Barbara, an Italian politician and lawyer from Sicily, who lived from 1821 to 1896. Another notable figure was Vincenzo Barbara, a Sicilian painter and sculptor active in the late 19th century.

The surname Barbara has also been found in other parts of Europe and the Americas, likely due to migration and intermarriage with Italian families over the centuries. However, its origins and earliest recorded uses trace back to Italy, particularly the southern regions, where it has been present for several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barbara

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Barbara.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Barbara was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Barbara has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Barbara was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Barbara, please contact us.

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