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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Barbara f. Greek βαρβαρα 'foreign, stranger'.

The name of a 3rd C saint, one of the fourteen Holy Helpers, important in both the western and eastern churches; a 15th C Holy Roman Empress, and a 16th C queen of Poland.

The name was never common in the early Middle Ages.

Belgium
Dutch
1597x1598 Barbara BoonenGes p. 327
1597x1598 Barbe BoonenGes p. 355, Barbele ibid. p. 335, Barbelen ibid. p. 348, Berbel ibid. p. 385
England
Latin
1559 Barbara (nom) StMartF p. 60; 1572 Barbara (nom) Reg-KirkElla p. 8; 1579 Barbara (nom) ibid. p. 9; 1579/80 Barbara (nom) ibid. p. 9; 1584 Barbara (nom) RegBeb p. 25; 1589/90 Barbara (nom) ibid. p. 30; 1590 Barbera (nom) ibid. p. 140; 1597/8 Barbera (nom) ibid. p. 37; 1598 Barbara (nom) ibid. p. 145
Dutch
1579 Barbara AuFr Marquinas; 1582 Barbara ibid. Grande; 1585 Barbara ibid. Wachter; 1591 Barbara ibid. Martens; 1594 Barbara ibid. Beck
1571 Barbel AuFr p. 89; 1573 Barbelken ibid. p. 89; 1582 Baijken ibid. p. 88; 1594 Barbelken ibid. p. 91; 1597 Barbel ibid. p. 89
Early Modern English
1530 Barbara LIWill-III p. 21; 1542 Barbary RegIng p. 2; 1556 Barbary ibid. p. 4, StAnthonlin p. 11; 1559 Barbara bruton1 p. 30; 1561 Barbara ibid. p. 111; 1563 Barbery StAnthonlin p. 15; 1566 Barbara bruton1 p. 4; 1567 Barbara HAmar-vol9 p. 116; 1568 Barbara bruton1 p. 5; 1570 Barbara ibid. p. 39; 1571 Barbara ibid. p. 113; 1572 Barbery StAnthonlin p. 22; 1573 Barbery ibid. p. 23; 1574 Barbara bruton1 p. 41; 1578 Barbara HAmar-vol9 p. 92; 1581 Barbara ibid. p. 3, Barbery StAnthonlin p. 28; 1582 Barbara DEmar-vol2 p. 8, Barbaray RegPat p. 34; 1583 Barbara ibid. p. 35, SurMus p. 181, bruton1 p. 45; 1584 Barbarey Bar-in-El p. 25; 1585 Barbary ibid. p. 14; 1588 Barbara HAmar-vol9 p. 92; 1590 Barbara DEmar-vol2 p. 20, bruton1 p. 50, Barbarai RegPat p. 38, Barbary OrpingtonKe p. 8; 1591 Barbara DEmar-vol2 p. 23, RegBath p. 9, RegPat p. 38; 1591/2 Barbara ibid. p. 39; 1591 Barbarai ibid. p. 38; 1592/3 Barbara ibid. p. 39; 1592 Barbara ibid. p. 39, Barbaray ibid. p. 4; 1593 Barbara HAmar-vol9 p. 116, Barbary RegPat p. 39; 1594 Barbara DEmar-vol2 p. 29, RegPat p. 40, bruton1 p. 53; 1595 Barbara HAmar-vol9 p. 3, bruton1 p. 54; 1596 Barbara DEmar-vol2 p. 34; 1597/8 Barbara RegPat p. 41; 1597 Barbara bruton1 p. 11, Barbarai RegPat p. 41; 1598 Barbara HAmar-vol9 p. 93, RegPat p. 114, Barbarai ibid. p. 114; 1599 Barbara DEmar-vol2 p. 40, RegPat p. 42, Barbary OrpingtonKe p. 9
Middle French
1568 barbe WCS p. 4, barbee ibid. p. 4; 1569 Barbe ibid. p. 40; 1570/1 Barbe ibid. p. 6; 1571 barbe ibid. p. 40; 1572 barbe ibid. p. 7; 1575 Barbe ibid. p. 11; 1577 barbe ibid. p. 13; 1586 Barbe ibid. p. 20
Walloon
1581/2 Barbe RWC p. 562; 1582 Barbe ibid. p. 563; 1583/4 Barbe ibid. p. 437; 1583 Barbe ibid. p. 7; 1584 Barbe ibid.; 1590/1 Barbe ibid. p. 16; 1591/2 Barbe ibid. p. 563; 1591 Barbe ibid. p. 563; 1592 Barbe ibid. p. 22; 1593 Barbe ibid. p. 564; 1594 Barbe ibid. p. 34; 1595 Barbe ibid. p. 36; 1597 Barbe ibid. p. 45; 1599 Barbe ibid. p. 52
Estonia
Middle Low German
1524x1532 Barbala (nom) Saareste1923b p. 139
1524x1532 Barbar (nom) Saareste1923b p. 138
France
Middle French
1562 Barbe RegPCC-1 p. 8; 1563 Barbe ibid. p. 41; 1564 Barbe ibid. p. 67; 1565 Barbe ibid. p. 114; 1566 Barbe ibid. p. 223; 1567 Barbe ibid. p. 310; 1568 Barbe ibid. p. 380; 1570 Barbe ibid. p. 426, Berbe ibid. p. 434; 1571 Barbe ibid. p. 438; 1572 Barbe ibid. p. 490
Germany
Early New High German
1403 Barbara (gen) mairhofer DCLXXIV; 1497 Barbara Nurn1497 70
1497 Barb Nurn1497 1793
Hungary
Latin
1308 Barbara (nom) Slíz p. 43, s.n. Barbara; 1312 Barbara (nom) ibid. p. 43, s.n. Barbara
Italy
Latin
1368 Barbara (acc) Livi 230/231
Latvia
Middle Low German
1460x1465 Barbara Mettig1892 p. 5; 1461 Barbara ibid. p. 11; 1462 Barbare ibid. p. 11; 1510 Barbara ibid. p. 5; 1515 Barbara ibid. p. 7; 1516 Barbara ibid. p. 6; 1545 Barbara Arbusow p. 99; 1549 Barbara ibid. p. 100; 1558 Barballa Arbuzov1920 p. 46
1510 Barbar Mettig1892 p. 11; 1511 Barbar ibid. p. 5; 1515 Barbar ibid. p. 7; 1523 Barbar Arbusow p. 99
Scotland
Scots
1538 Barbara PGB; 1565 Barbara ibid.
Spain
Catalan
1510 Barbera valencia1510 4049
Spanish
1576 Barbola Catalogo-5.2 3936
Wales
Latin
1582 Barbara (nom) RegCon1 p. 37
Cite as: A. Brown, R. Le Get, M. Slíz, S.L. Uckelman. "Barbara". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2021, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2021/1/name/Barbara.