Would you name your baby Barbie or Ken? Monikers surge in popularity following film’s success
It was this year’s most-anticipated movie and has made Greta Gerwig the first-ever woman to solo direct a film grossing over $1billion (£785million).
Yet, it seems Barbie’s cultural significance is about to spread far wider.
New data from Nameberry, shared exclusively with Yahoo UK, reveals that searches for the name ‘Barbie’ have risen by 610% in the UK during the lead up to and following the film’s release, while searches for ‘Ken’ have risen by 170%.
Barbie movie: Read more
Barbie becomes highest grossing film of 2023 so far in UK and Ireland - PA, 2-min read
Why is the Barbie DreamHouse so creepy? An expert in the uncanny explains - The Conversation, 5-min read
Woman reveals she broke up with her boyfriend over his ‘uncomfortable’ reaction to Barbie - The Independent, 4-min read
As the Barbie movie is released, how the doll's evolved over time - Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read
Barbie meaning
According to Babycentre UK, the name ‘Barbie’ actually has Greek and Latin origins, and Barbie’s meaning comes from the Ancient Greek word ‘barbarus’, meaning ‘foreign woman’.
Barbie, the doll, was first unveiled in 1959. Its creator, Ruth Handler, called the doll Barbie after her daughter Barbara, and Ken after her son, Kenneth.
Barbie is often used as a nickname for Barbara, and Barbie’s full name is actually Barbara Millicent Roberts.
According to Nameberry, Barbie’s peak popularity was in the 1960s, where it reached a high of number 757 in its top girls names list in 1964, and 771 in 1967 before declining once again. Barbie’s current ranking on Nameberry is 1,896.
While there are several famous Barbaras, including singer and actor Barbra Streisand, model Barbara Palvin, and late presenter Barbara Walters, there are few famous Barbies.
American model and actor Barbie Ferreira, who stars on the hit Gen Z show Euphoria, is the current most famous Barbie, with 5.7million followers on Instagram.
Ken meaning
According to Babycentre, the name ‘Ken’ has English and Welsh origins and can be traced back to a surname which is from a place name in Cumbria, or "from the Old Norse keld, meaning ‘spring’".
Nameberry says the name Ken means "born of fire or handsome; healthy and strong".
The name Ken can be a name on its own, or be a nickname for Kenneth, Kendall, Kendrick, Keegan, Kent or Kenny.
Ken grew steadily in popularity during the 1930s, peaking at number 227 on the top boys name list in 1946, before rising again in the 1950s with an all-time high of 177 in 1960.
It then saw a dramatic drop, and now sits at 1,941 on Nameberry’s list.
Some famous Kens include Sir Kenneth Branagh, actor Ken Jeong, singer Kenny Chesney and, of course, fictional Coronation Street character Ken Barlow.
So, could we soon see more baby Barbies and Kens announced by pals or family members on social media?
It’s too soon to tell, but there’s certainly a growing interest in these old school monikers.
Watch: 'Barbie' surpasses $1 Billion at global box office
