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Name Origin

Barbara is a feminine given name of Greek origin, meaning 'foreigner' or 'stranger'. It derives from the Greek word 'barbaros', which was used to describe people who spoke languages other than Greek.

greekfeminineforeignerstrangerclassical

Famous People

Barbara Streisand (1942-)

Singer, actress, filmmaker

  • Academy Award winner
  • Tony Award winner
  • Grammy Award winner
  • Emmy Award winner
  • One of the best-selling music artists of all time

Barbara Walters (1929-2022)

Journalist, television broadcaster

  • First female co-anchor of a network evening news program
  • Pioneering interviewer who conducted numerous high-profile interviews

Barbara Bush (1925-2018)

First Lady of the United States (1989-1993)

  • Advocate for literacy
  • Founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

Barbara McClintock (1902-1992)

Geneticist

  • Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1983)
  • Discovery of transposons (jumping genes)

Barbara Tuchman (1912-1989)

Historian, author

  • Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for History
  • Known for her accessible and engaging historical writing style

Barbara Cartland (1901-2000)

Novelist

  • Prolific romance novelist

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