COMPILED FROM THE FEDERAL REGISTERS, 1880 TO THE PRESENT
THE ENDANGERED NAMES LIST
American first names, tracked to the federal reporting line.

FROM THE REGISTER — THE VANISHED

Barb
A female given name · United States

BELOW THE FEDERAL REPORTING LINE SINCE 1973 — 53 YEARS

Barb (F): reported births per year0150300450600750188019001920194019601980200020202025FEDERAL REPORTING LINE (5)PEAK 493 — 1960
Reported births per year, 1880–2025. The y-axis starts at zero. Years below the reporting line appear as gaps, not zeros.

Not short for anything on the certificate: birth-certificate Barb. Barb was reported above the federal line from 1938 to 1972, peaking at 493 births in 1960 — 3,853 recorded in all. It has not appeared in the register since: 53 years below the line, and counting.

REGISTER EXTRACT
First reported1938
Last reported1972
Peak1960 — 493 births
Total recorded, 1938–20253,853
Years above the line33 of a possible 88
Longest absence53 years (1973–2025, ongoing)

Nearby in the register

Gaye

The Vanished · 1909–1976 · peak 1960

Gay

The Vanished · 1886–1982 · peak 1959

Marge

The Vanished · 1889–1976 · peak 1941

Osie

The Vanished · 1880–1961 · peak 1927

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national names file (1880–2025). Names below 5 occurrences in a year are not reported.

Somewhere, a grandmother is unsurprised.

A collection of THE MUSEUM OF HOPEFUL MACHINES