How Many People Are Named Barb?
An estimated 2,942 people in the United States have the first name Barb. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 66 years old, and Barb peaked in popularity in 1960 with 493 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Barb as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Barb paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- With an average bearer age of 66, Barb is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1970.
Estimated Living Americans
2,942
About 1 in 116,504 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
100.0% confidence
Average Age
66
years old
Peak Year
1960
493 births
Total Registered
3,853
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Barb
Barb is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 3,853 total births registered, 100.0% were female.
Barb as a female name
Ranked #5,506 in 1972
9 female births in 1972
Peak: 1960 (493 births)
Barb: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Barb span from the 1930s to the 1970s, covering 5 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 2,140 babies were registered. Barb has declined significantly from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Barb by Decade
How has Barb tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Barb by State
Birth registrations for Barb span all 19 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota. The lowest are in New Jersey, California, Oregon. On average, about 167 Barbs were registered per state.
Barb + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Barb as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Barb
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
Barb: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Barb?
We estimate approximately 2,942 people named Barb are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 116,504 Americans share this first name.
Is Barb a common name?
Barb is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 95.1% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 3,853 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Barb most popular?
Barb reached peak popularity in 1960, when 493 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Barb is approximately 66 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Barb a female name?
Barb is predominantly female. 100.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Barb Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Barb Smith, Barb Johnson, Barb Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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