If you're expecting a baby this summer, get in on the trend that is #BarbieCore, in anticipation of the Barbie movie hitting theatres. We've rounded up 36 Barbie-inspired baby names to get you inspired.
Greta Gerwig-directed Barbie, hit theatres and made history in July 2023, and not just because it was the highest grossing film of that year. The cast boasts a who’s who of Hollywood, from Margot Robbie and America Ferrara to Ryan Gosling and Will Ferrell, many in variations of the titular role. (You’re also gonna see John Cena and Dua Lipa as Mermaid Ken and Barbie, Issa Rae a President Barbie, Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan as Diplomat Barbie, Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie, and so many more.) Also, Helen Mirren narrates. Come. On.
So, in honour of the summer blockbuster, we’re rounding up 36 Barbie-inspired baby names and their meanings, to give you the moniker inspiration you probably didn’t even know you needed. We’ve thrown in some of the flick’s actors, too, for good measure.
Allan – Ken’s best friend; first introduced in 1964
Meaning: handsome, cheerful
Annaleise – main character in Barbie’s The Princess and the Pauper (2006)
Meaning: grace or favour
Barbara – Barbie’s full first name (yes, seriously!); named after the creator’s daughter
Meaning: stranger, foreign
Blaine – Barbie’s Australian surfer rebound boyfriend after she and Ken broke up in 2004 (they got back together in 2006)
Meaning: yellow
Brad – first Black male Barbie doll; he joined the Barbie squad in 1970
Meaning: broad clearing
Chelsea – the youngest of Barbie’s sisters; she was introduced in 1995 but relaunched as Chelsea in 2011
Meaning: chalk wharf
Christie – the first Black Barbie doll; introduced in 1968 but discontinued in 2005
Meaning: messiah, anointed one
Derek – Barbie’s love interest in Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses (2006)
Meaning: people ruler
Dominick – one of two love interests in The Princess and the Pauper
Meaning: lordly
Elina – a wingless fairy in the 2005 movie Barbie: Fairytopia
Meaning: shining light
Erika – the second lead in The Princess and the Pauper
Meaning: sole or eternal ruler
Emerald – Call the Midwife’s Emerald Fennel plays Midge in Barbie (2023)
Meaning: green gemstone
Genevieve – the main character in Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses
Meaning: woman of the race
Greta – director of Barbie
Meaning: creature of light
Helen – narrator of Barbie (and international treasure!)
Meaning: torch, light
Jack – named for Jack Ryan, one of Barbie’s early designers
Meaning: God is gracious
Jamie – comedian Jamie Demetriou plays a Mattel employee in Barbie
Meaning: he who supplants
Julian – the second love interest in The Princess and the Pauper
Meaning: youthful
Kate – Saturday Night Live alum Kate McKinnon plays Weird Barbie in Barbie
Meaning: pure
Kelly – the name of Barbie’s youngest sister when she was first launched
Meaning: lively, bright-headed
Kenneth – Barbie’s main squeeze (though they have broken up over the years!)
Meaning: handsome
Kingsley – British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir plays one of the many Kens in Barbie
Meaning: king’s meadow
Lilli – the German doll that was the inspiration for Barbie was named Lilli
Meaning: alternate spelling of Lily, which means innocent
Margaret – full first name of Midge, Barbie’s OG best friend (also Barbie’s mom’s name!)
Meaning: pearl
Margot – actor Margot Robbie plays Barbie in this summer’s Barbie
Meaning: French derivative of Margaret, also meaning pearl
Millicent – Barbie’s middle name
Meaning: work, strong
Nikki – originally introduced as a friend of Barbie’s younger sister, Skipper
Meaning: victory of the people
Rhea – Rhea Pearlman of Cheers fame has an undisclosed role in Barbie
Meaning: flowing
Ruth – Co-Mattel founder Ruth Handler is credited with creating Barbie
Meaning: friend, friendship
Ryan – Ken is played by actor Ryan Gosling in Barbie
Meaning: Little king
Sean – Ken’s middle name
Meaning: God is gracious
Skipper – Barbie’s very first little sister
Meaning: in command of a ship
Stacie – another one of Barbie’s sisters
Meaning: fruitful
Teresa – a friend of Barbie’s introduced in 1988
Meaning: to harvest
Tommy – Ken’s little brother
Meaning: twin
William – the Mattel CEO is played by Will Ferrell in Barbie
Meaning: resolute protector
For more baby name inspiration, check out our baby name hub! We've got everything from one-syllable monikers to the year's top names.
Originally published in June 2023. Updated in March 2024.
