The recent release of new African-American Barbie Dolls got me wondering about Barbie and her friends and, of course, their names.
Here’s a list of dolls from the Barbie collection. I’ve included the year each doll was first introduced (apparently, some had multiple release dates). There are a few duplicate names on the list because Mattel issued more than one doll with the same name. Whether these are re-releases or different “characters” I’m not positive (any Barbie experts out there?). Where the Barbie Collector website has the doll listed with a different relationship to Barbie or one of the other characters, I listed each doll with the same name separately because I thought it was interesting to see which names were reused and in what years. Some of the duplicates are also spelled differently.
Here’s the list:
GIRLS’ NAMES
1959
BARBIE
1960s
CASEY — Francie’s friend, 1967
CHRIS — Tutti’s friend, 1967
CHRISTIE — Barbie’s friend, 1968
FRANCIE — Barbie’s cousin, 1966
MIDGE — Barbie’s best friend, 1963
PJ — Barbie’s friend, 1969
SKIPPER — Barbie’s sister, 1964
SKOOTER — Skipper’s friend, 1965
STACEY — Barbie’s British friend, 1968
TUTTI — Barbie’s sister, 1966
1970s
CARA — Barbie’s friend, 1975
FLUFF — Skipper’s friend, 1971
GINGER — Skipper’s friend, 1976
JAMIE — Barbie’s friend, 1970
KELLEY — Barbie’s friend, 1973
STEFFIE — Barbie’s friend, 1972
TIFF — Skipper’s friend, 1972
1980s
BECKY — Barbie’s friend, 1988
BELINDA — Barbie’s friend, 1988
BOPSY — Barbie’s friend, 1988
COURTNEY — Skipper’s friend, 1989
DANA — Barbie’s friend, 1986
DEE DEE — Barbie’s friend, 1986
DEVON — Barbie’s friend, 1989
DIVA — Barbie’s friend, 1986
JAZZIE — Barbie’s cousin, 1989
KAYLA — Barbie’s friend, 1989
MIKO — Barbie’s friend, 1987
NIKKI — Barbie’s friend, 1989
STACIE — Jazzie’s friend, 1989
TERESA — Barbie’s friend, 1988
TRACY — Barbie’s friend, 1983
WHITNEY — Barbie’s friend, 1987
1990s
ANA — Barbie’s friend, 1999
BECKY — Kelly’s friend, 1996
CHELSIE — Barbie’s friend, 1999
CHELSIE — Kelly’s friend, 1996
DEIDRE — Kelly’s friend, 1998
JANET — Stacie’s friend, 1994
KAYLA — Kelly’s friend, 1999
KEEYA — Kelly’s friend, 1998
KELLY — Barbie’s sister, 1995
KIRA — Barbie’s friend, 1990
KRISSY — Barbie’s sister, 1999
LARA — Barbie’s friend, 1999
MARIA — Kelly’s friend, 1999
MARISSA — Kelly’s friend, 1998
MELODY — Kelly’s friend, 1996
NIA — Barbie’s friend, 1990
NIA — Kelly’s friend, 1999
NICHELLE — Barbie’s friend, 1999
NIKKI — Skipper’s friend, 1997
SHANI — Barbie’s friend, 1994
STACIE — Barbie’s sister, 1992
TAMIKA — Kelly’s friend, 1999
TARA LYNN — Barbie’s friend, 1993
TORI — Barbie’s friend, 1999
WHITNEY — Stacie’s friend, 1994
2000s
COURTNEY — Grace’s sister, 2009
GRACE — Barbie’s friend, 2009
JANESSA — Trichelle’s sister, 2009
KARA — Barbie’s friend, 2009
KIANA — Kara’s sister, 2009
TRICHELLE — Barbie’s friend, 2009
The names from the 1960s are a mixed bag. A few of the names have a very quirky, Gidget-y feel to them — Skipper and Tutti. These names are more like nicknames than full, given names. Then there are a couple boyish picks — Casey and Chris. We also have Christie (oddly similar to Chris) which is slightly ahead of the naming trend — the name Christie name soared in popularity in the 1970s.
The 1970s bring us mostly “girly” names with the exception of Jamie. There are also a few more nickname names — Fluff, Steffie and Tiff.
Several of the dolls from the 1980s are members of rock bands and that is directly reflected in the names Bopsy and Diva. Carrying on the musical theme, Belinda may be a nod to Belinda Carlisle and Whitney to Whitney Houston. In the 1980s we also see the beginning of an expansion into more culturally diverse names with Miko.
The names from the 1990s reflect a larger multicultural influence with the names Ana, Nichelle, Tamika and Maria mixed in with previously used names like Kelly and Becky. I’m most surprised by Deidre and Janet, which both reached their popularity peaks decades prior — Deidre in the 1960s and Janet in the 1940s. They’re somewhat surprising picks for 1990s dolls, in my opinion.
The 2000s featured a mix of conventional names, including ultra-popular Grace, and unique names like Trichelle. It looks like Mattel is paying close attention to consumer attitudes and choosing their names accordingly.
BOYS’ NAMES
1960s
ALLAN — Midge’s boyfriend/husband, 1964
KEN — Barbie’s boyfriend, 1961
RICKY — Skipper’s friend, 1965
TODD — Barbie’s brother, 1966
1970s
BRAD — Ken’s friend, 1970
CURTIS — Cara’s boyfriend, 1975
1980s
DEREK — Ken’s friend, 1986
DUDE — Jazzie’s friend, 1989
SCOTT — Skipper’s boyfriend, 1989
STEVEN — Christie’s boyfriend, 1988
TODD — Tracy’s fiancé, 1983
1990s
KEVIN — Skipper’s boyfriend, 1990
TOMMY — Ken’s brother, 1997
The guy’s names don’t hold many surprises. Other than Dude, all the names are mainstream and pretty run-of-the-mill. It doesn’t look like quite as much thought or marketing has gone into these names, but then, they didn’t need to — the guys aren’t the stars here, the girls reign supreme in Barbie-land.
One of the biggest impacts the male Barbie dolls have had is with the name Ken. People use the word “Ken” to describe a really good looking guy (usually blond) who’s actually so good looking or put together that he looks plastic-y, like a Ken doll. It’s not a compliment usually.
MORE BARBIE FUN FACTS
« Barbie’s full name is BARBARA “BARBIE” MILLICENT ROBERTS
« Ken’s full name is KEN CARSON
« Barbie has some relatives who were never turned into dolls:
Mom = MARGARET ROBERTS
Dad = GEORGE ROBERTS
Cousin = LULUBELLE
Aunt =LILLIAN FAIRCHILD
« Barbie has dogs named TANNER and TAFFY
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Barbie’s_friends_and_family; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie; http://www.barbiecollector.com; www.amazon.com
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♥ Amanda
If you have baby name questions for me, email me at amanda@amandabarden.com.
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For more information on baby names and their meanings check out
BABY NAMES MADE EASY: THE COMPLETE REVERSE-DICTIONARY OF BABY NAMES
