Fairly uncommon....

Now while the Mother recovered in hospital, the father (as was usual) was responsible for ensuring the child was christened and registered within all appropriate officialdom. Names were discussed and dismissed, 'Rose' was one, and Margaret too. At last they agreed and called her Barbara because it was a little unusual and yet still traditional, albeit repetitive in syllables.

All through her childhood she was frequently told (with emphasis), "Your name is Bar-ba-ra," and "not Babs, Barb, or Barbie!," and spent an inordinate amount of her time dealing with this prickly problem, attempting to persuade all friends, relatives, strangers and acquaintances to comply with the explicit wishes of her Mother.

She often thought life would have been so much easier if only she'd simply been called Rose.

With a much older sister and a slightly younger brother, she nearly always had company. Problem was, as is generally the sibling case, they often disagreed. Still, her childhood was filled with exploration, from the way that grass grows, to the advances of science as the tales of Apollo were to unfold.