Barbra

Barbra is an English respelling of Barbara, which derives from the ancient Greek word barbaros, meaning foreign or strange, originally used by Greeks to describe those who did not speak Greek. The name was widely adopted in the Christian world through the legend of Saint Barbara, a martyred virgin venerated since late antiquity. Barbra emerged as a distinctive spelling variant, popularized in the twentieth century largely through the American singer and actress Barbra Streisand. The traditional form Barbara remains the dominant cognate across numerous languages, including Italian, Spanish, and Polish.