Barbara

Barbara comes from the Greek word barbaros, meaning foreign or strange, originally used by Greeks to describe anyone who did not speak Greek, mimicking the sound of unintelligible speech as bar-bar. The name was borne by Saint Barbara, a legendary early Christian martyr whose widespread veneration across Europe made the name enormously popular throughout the medieval period. It remains common across many European languages, appearing as Bárbara in Spanish and Portuguese, and has generated familiar short forms such as Barb and Babs.