Barbara is a feminine given name of Latin origin that means "foreign" or "stranger". It became popular during the Middle Ages due to Saint Barbara, a martyred Christian virgin. Composed of five letters (B-a-r-b-a-r-a), Barbara has three syllables in its standard spelling and variants include Barbera, Barbaree, and Barbarea. Widespread across languages like Italian, Spanish, German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, and English-speaking countries, it ranks within the top 1000 baby names. Notable individuals named Barbara include actresses Barbara Streisand and Barbara Eden, writer Barbara Pym, and Chancellor Angela Merkel née Kasner. The name has inspired various cultural references worldwide.