Barbi
Feminine · “A pet form of Barbara”
Barbi is a pet form of Barbara written with a single i, and it sounds exactly like the world's most famous doll. That doll was itself copied from a German one.
How old is the name Barbi?
Barbi first appears in US birth records in 1953 — 72 years ago. The typical Barbi alive today was born around 1971, making them about 54 years old. About 500 people named Barbi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Barbi most popular?
Barbi peaked in 1975, reaching #2097 nationally. See the whole 1975 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From barbaros to Barbi
The story of Barbi
On a trip to Europe, Ruth Handler found a German doll called Bild Lilli, based on a cartoon character in the newspaper Bild, and brought several home; Mattel reworked the design, named it Barbie after the Handlers' daughter, Barbara, and later bought the rights to Lilli. Barbi may shorten Barbara or borrow Barbie's sound; nothing records which a family meant.
Meaning
A pet form of Barbara, 'foreign woman'
Barbara comes from Greek barbaros, 'foreign'. Barbi shortens it.
How the name formed
- barbaros
- Barbara
- Barbi
Related forms: Barbie · Barbara
Pronouncing Barbi
BAR-bee
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Barbi
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1953
- Most girls named
- 197541 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2097reached in 1975
- Change vs 1985
- 0.0%5 in 1987, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Barbi in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Barbie in English — spelling variant
- Barbara in English — related form
Barbis among us
people named Barbi are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Barbi sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Friendly and easy to say.
- Built on Barbara, a classic name.
- Short on paper.
- Everyone will think of the doll.
- Some will assume it is short for Barbara and ask for the full name.
- It is closely tied to its era.
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Barbi
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Barbis are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Barbi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Barbi in 2025?
- Barbi is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Barbi with classmates?
- Barbi will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More B names
The most-given names starting with B, all years combined.
Barbara#968 · Betty#1113 · Brenda#1525 · Beverly#1016 · Brittany#928 · Bonnie#396 · Brianna#222 · Bertha#4546
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Barbi? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Barbi and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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