Barbara (given name)

Common card · No. 214149

Barbara and Barbra are given names. They are the feminine form of the Greek word barbaros (Koine Greek: βάρβαρος) meaning "stranger" or "foreign". In Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition, Saint Barbara (Koine Greek: Ἁγία Βαρβάρα) was imprisoned in a tower by her father. She was then martyred by her father when she refused to renounce Christianity. According to legend, her father was then punished with death by lightning. As such, Saint Barbara is a protectress against fire and lightning. Early Christians occasionally referred to themselves as "barbarians" in opposition to the pagan Romans and Greeks. The story of Saint Barbara is said to have been an inspiration for the fairy tale Rapunzel and other European stories that feature a maiden in a tower. Today, the name Barbara or its variants are commonly given to female babies born in such countries as Chile, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Russia, among others. Barbie, a traditional English hypocorism...

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