36 Adorable Barbie-Inspired Baby Names

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.