Barbie

Barbie is an English diminutive of Barbara, which derives from the Greek Barbaros, meaning foreign or strange, originally used by Greeks to describe those who did not speak Greek. The name Barbara was borne by a legendary early Christian martyr, which helped spread it throughout medieval Europe. Barbie gained widespread cultural recognition in the twentieth century through the Mattel fashion doll introduced in 1959, created by Ruth Handler and named after her daughter Barbara. Related forms include Barb, Babs, and the full name Barbara, as well as the masculine cognate Barbaro.