75+ Famous Barbaras

If you grew up around moms, aunts, teachers, or TV anchors named Barbara, you’re not alone.
For much of the 20th century, Barbara was one of the most popular girl names in the
United States, especially from the 1930s through the 1960s. Today it feels a bit vintage,
but the name is still carried by some of the most iconic women in politics, entertainment,
literature, and activism.

This list of 75+ famous Barbaras pulls together legends, trailblazers, cult favorites,
and a few unexpected picks perfect if you’re name-nerding, building a pop culture quiz,
or considering Barbara for a future baby and want some star-powered inspiration.

Why the Name Barbara Has Stayed Iconic

The name Barbara comes from the Greek word for “foreign” or “strange,” and for centuries
it was associated with Saint Barbara, a popular figure in Christian tradition. In the U.S., the name
had a huge mid-century boom, becoming one of the top girls’ names in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
That’s why so many famous Barbaras you’ll see here were born during that era the name practically
ruled the baby name charts for decades.

Even though it’s less common for today’s newborns, Barbara has major staying power thanks to women
who’ve carried it onto movie posters, bestselling book covers, political campaigns, and award-show stages.
Let’s meet some of the most influential Barbaras first before we dive into the full 75+ name-drop.

The Most Iconic Barbaras of All Time

Barbra Streisand – The One-Woman Powerhouse

Technically spelled Barbra, Streisand is such a towering figure that every Barbara list
has to start with her. She’s a multi-hyphenate singer, actor, director, and producer whose career
has stretched across six decades. Streisand burst onto the scene with her powerhouse vocals, then
conquered Hollywood in films like Funny Girl, Hello, Dolly!, and The Way We Were.
She later made history as one of the first women to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film,
proving that a Barbara (or Barbra) can literally do it all.

Barbara Walters – The Interviewer’s Interviewer

If you associate the name Barbara with sharp questions and perfectly timed follow-ups, that’s thanks to
Barbara Walters. A trailblazing TV journalist, she became the first woman to cohost
NBC’s Today and later the first woman to coanchor an evening network newscast. Walters turned
high-profile interviews into prime-time events and later created The View, giving women a larger
platform in daytime television and sparking a new era of talk shows.

Barbara Bush – America’s No-Nonsense First Lady

Barbara Bush, wife of U.S. President George H. W. Bush and mother of President George W. Bush,
became one of the most recognizable First Ladies of the late 20th century. Known for her signature white hair,
pearls, and dry wit, she championed literacy, family life, and public service. Her work helped raise millions
of dollars for literacy initiatives and cemented her image as the nation’s no-nonsense, straight-talking
grandmother figure.

Barbara Kingsolver – Storyteller of Conscience

In the literary world, Barbara Kingsolver is a powerhouse novelist and essayist whose books
blend storytelling with social commentary. Works like The Poisonwood Bible and
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle explore themes of family, ecology, justice, and culture.
She’s a reminder that Barbaras don’t just entertain; they provoke thought, inspire change, and turn
big issues into deeply personal stories.

Barbara Stanwyck – The Classic Screen Legend

A star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Barbara Stanwyck lit up the screen in film noir, westerns,
and screwball comedies. With roles in classics like Double Indemnity and The Lady Eve, she
became known for playing women who were tough, smart, and always three steps ahead of everyone else in the room.

Barbara Jordan – A Voice of Moral Clarity

Barbara Jordan was a groundbreaking American politician and civil rights leader. As one of
the first Black women elected to Congress from the South, she became nationally known for her powerful speeches,
especially during the Watergate hearings, where she spoke about the Constitution, justice, and accountability
with unforgettable moral force.

75+ Famous People Named Barbara

Ready for the full roll call? Here’s a wide-ranging list of famous Barbaras from film, music,
politics, sports, literature, science, and more. Consider it your go-to reference whenever you need a
Barb-ventory of legends.

Barbra Streisand – Singer, actor, director, producer, cultural icon.
Barbara Walters – Pioneering TV journalist and creator of The View.
Barbara Bush – Former First Lady of the United States, literacy advocate.
Barbara Kingsolver – Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist and essayist.
Barbara Stanwyck – Classic Hollywood actor known for film noir and dramas.
Barbara Hershey – Film and TV actor with roles in Black Swan and Hannah and Her Sisters.
Barbara Eden – Star of the beloved sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.
Barbara Palvin – Hungarian supermodel and Victoria’s Secret Angel.
Barbara Corcoran – Real estate mogul and investor on Shark Tank.
Barbara Bach – Actor and former Bond girl in The Spy Who Loved Me.
Barbara Crampton – Cult-favorite horror actor and producer.
Barbara Bel Geddes – Stage and screen actor, matriarch Miss Ellie in Dallas.
Barbara Niven – TV and film actor, Hallmark Channel regular.
Barbara Steele – Legendary queen of Gothic horror films.
Barbara Carrera – Model and actor, known for Never Say Never Again.
Barbara Mandrell – Country music star and variety show host.
Barbara Lynn – R&B singer and guitarist behind “You’ll Lose a Good Thing.”
Barbara Acklin – Soul singer-songwriter and hitmaker.
Barbara Cook – Tony-winning Broadway singer and interpreter of classic show tunes.
Barbara Kruger – Conceptual artist known for bold text-and-image works.
Barbara Hepworth – Influential British modernist sculptor.
Barbara Liskov – Computer scientist and Turing Award–winning pioneer in programming languages.
Barbara McClintock – Nobel Prize–winning geneticist who discovered “jumping genes.”
Barbara Jordan – U.S. congresswoman and civil rights leader.
Barbara Boxer – Former U.S. senator from California.
Barbara Lee – U.S. representative known for her anti-war stance.
Barbara Mikulski – Long-serving U.S. senator from Maryland.
Barbara Castle – British Labour politician and cabinet minister.
Barbara Tuchman – Historian and author of The Guns of August.
Barbara Ehrenreich – Author and journalist, known for Nickel and Dimed.
Barbara Pym – British novelist beloved for her sharply observed social comedies.
Barbara Cartland – Prolific romance novelist.
Barbara Taylor Bradford – Bestselling author of A Woman of Substance.
Barbara Gittings – Pioneering LGBTQ+ rights activist.
Barbara Marx Hubbard – Futurist and writer on human evolution and consciousness.
Barbara Windsor – British actor and star of the Carry On films and EastEnders.
Barbara Mori – Actor and model, known for telenovelas and international films.
Barbara Fialho – Brazilian model and musician.
Barbara Pravi – French singer-songwriter and Eurovision favorite.
Barbara Dickson – Scottish singer and stage performer.
Barbara Thompson – British jazz saxophonist and bandleader.
Barbara Meier – German model and TV personality.
Barbara Alyn Woods – TV actor known for One Tree Hill.
Barbara Goodson – Voice actor with roles in anime and animation.
Barbara Kopple – Documentary filmmaker and two-time Oscar winner.
Barbara Broccoli – Film producer and key figure behind the James Bond franchise.
Barbara De Fina – Film producer who has worked on major Martin Scorsese films.
Barbara Park – Author of the popular Junie B. Jones children’s series.
Barbara Robinson – Children’s author known for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
Barbara Oakley – Engineer and educator, co-instructor of a hugely popular learning course.
Barbara Sher – Life coach and author who popularized the idea of “scanners” with many interests.
Barbara Ann Scott – Canadian figure skater and Olympic gold medalist.
Barbara Sinatra – Model, philanthropist, and wife of singer Frank Sinatra.
Barbara Gibb – Mother of the Bee Gees, known to music fans as the matriarch of the family.
Barbara Pierce Bush (author) – Daughter of George W. Bush, activist and writer.
Barbara Castleton – Silent film actor of early Hollywood.
Barbara Lawrence – Actor and pin-up model of the 1940s and 1950s.
Barbara Shelley – British horror and sci-fi actor.
Barbara Payton – Film actor known for a brief but intense Hollywood career.
Barbara Frum – Influential Canadian journalist and broadcaster.
Barbara Amiel – Journalist and writer.
Barbara Fusar-Poli – Italian ice dancer and Olympic medalist.
Barbara Gordon – Fictional DC Comics character who becomes Batgirl and Oracle.
Barbara Kean – Fictional character from Batman-related TV stories and comics.
Barbara Henning – Poet, novelist, and writing teacher.
Barbara Daly Baekeland – New York socialite whose life inspired books and films.
Barbara Hale – Actor best known as Della Street on Perry Mason.
Barbara Bouchet – Actor and businesswoman known for European cinema roles.
Barbara Sukowa – German actor acclaimed for both European and American films.
Barbara Hendricks – Opera singer and humanitarian.
Barbara Hutton – American socialite and heiress often called the “Poor Little Rich Girl.”
Barbara Nicklaus – Philanthropist and wife of golf legend Jack Nicklaus.
Barbara Fialho (musician) – Model turned recording artist.
Barbara Taylor – Name shared by several historians and writers, often cited in academic work.
Barbara Gordon-Lennox – British aristocrat and public figure.

That’s a lot of Barbaras. From Nobel laureates to horror-movie queens, the name has proven it can belong
to just about any personality type: glamorous, brainy, fearless, funny, or quietly revolutionary.

What These Famous Barbaras Have in Common

Look across the list and some themes start to repeat. Many Barbaras have been:

Media trailblazers – Walters, Frum, Corcoran, Broccoli, Kopple.
Political and social leaders – Bush, Jordan, Boxer, Lee, Gittings, Castle.
Creative powerhouses – Streisand, Kingsolver, Kruger, Hepworth, Stanwyck.
Champions of education and learning – Bush (literacy), Oakley (learning science), Sher (self-development).

If you had to sum up the “Barbara energy,” it might be this: strong opinions, a sense of purpose,
and a willingness to stand in the spotlight (even if they pretend they don’t like it).

Choosing Barbara as a Baby Name Today

In current baby name trends, Barbara sits firmly in the “vintage classic” category. It’s not
nearly as common for newborns as names like Emma or Olivia, which can actually be a perk if you
want something traditional yet underused. With nicknames like Barb, Barbie, Babs, and Bobbie,
the name can also take on totally different personalities from glamorous to down-to-earth.

The bonus? A child named Barbara will grow up with a whole gallery of role models who share her name:
scientists, senators, singers, artists, and even a comic-book hero or two. Not bad for a single
classic name.

of “Barbara Experience”: How This Name Shows Up in Real Life

It’s one thing to look at a list of famous Barbaras. It’s another thing to think about how the name
actually lives in everyday life in families, schools, workplaces, and group chats. If you’ve ever
known a Barbara, chances are you have a very specific impression of her, because the name tends to
come with a built-in personality in people’s minds.

For many people, Barbara feels like a “grown-up” name. That’s partly because so many
of the most visible Barbaras came of age in the mid to late 20th century. A lot of us first hear the
name attached to a teacher, a neighbor, a boss, or a favorite aunt. This gives the name a kind of
instant authority you don’t necessarily imagine baby Barbara in a onesie; you imagine Barbara
in charge of the meeting, the classroom, the PTA, or the family holiday schedule.

That sense of authority can be a huge plus. In professional settings, a Barbara often gets taken
seriously before she even walks into the room; the name sounds like someone who already
knows how the game is played. If you picture Barbara on an email signature, it doesn’t look out of place
under titles like “Director,” “Judge,” “Professor,” or “CEO.” The name has a “grown-up credibility”
that trendier, newer names sometimes still have to earn.

At the same time, the name has a surprisingly soft side. When you think of Barbara Bush reading to
children, or Barbara Kingsolver writing tender, complicated family stories, or Barbara Ann Scott
skating with grace and precision, you see the name attached to compassion, steadiness, and care.
In real life, many Barbaras play the role of the person everyone calls when things go sideways:
the friend who shows up, the coworker who quietly fixes the problem, the relative who knows all
the birthdays and remembers to send cards.

There’s also the “Barb” factor. A lot of Barbaras lean into the nickname Barb, which
has its own personality: a little sharper, funnier, and more sarcastic. Barb sounds like the friend
who will both help you move and roast you for how much stuff you own. It’s the kind of nickname that
fits someone who doesn’t mind speaking plainly. You can almost hear the deadpan one-liners in a
sentence that starts with, “Listen, I’m just going to tell you this once…”

For parents thinking about the name today, it helps to imagine how a modern Barbara might move through
the world. She’ll have a name that almost no one else in her class has, but it won’t feel strange or
made-up. There will be a built-in narrative “I was named after my grandmother,” or “I’m named after
Barbara Jordan” that gives her a story to tell when people ask. And because the name is less common
for kids right now, she gets the benefit of standing out on class lists, resumes, and social media
handles without being unpronounceable or confusing.

In pop culture, the name Barbara keeps popping up in new contexts too. From comic-book characters like
Barbara Gordon to new artists, writers, and influencers carrying the name, each generation quietly
updates what “Barbara” means. It’s no longer just the classic mid-century mom name; it’s a flexible,
sturdy label that works just as well for a tattooed indie musician as it does for a Supreme Court justice.

So whether you’re here because you’re building a trivia quiz, stalking the credits of your favorite
movies, or seriously considering Barbara for a baby or a character name, this list shows just how
wide a life one name can have. From White House podiums to recording studios, from children’s books
to comic books, Barbara has been quietly (and sometimes very loudly) shaping culture
for nearly a century and doesn’t show signs of stopping anytime soon.

Conclusion: A Classic Name with Serious Star Power

The name Barbara might not be topping modern baby name charts, but its influence is everywhere.
The women (and a few fictional characters) who carry it have won Oscars, Nobel Prizes, Grammys,
Senate races, and hearts around the world. If you love names with history, substance, and a little
bit of attitude, Barbara belongs on your short list.

Whether you’re celebrating the Barbaras you already know or planning to introduce a brand-new one
to the world, this roster of famous Barbaras proves that the name carries a long,
impressive, and surprisingly diverse legacy.