I went clothes shopping yesterday and the cashier had this name! She looked like Dolly Parton and sounded like Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors. Now when I hear Barb I think of a sweet middle aged lady with blond hair.
In 2018, 50 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Barb* who is registered female with the Social Security Administration. It is the 3780th most common female first name for living U.S. citizens. *as a first name, not a nickname.
If you look at successful people in the world, they don't shorten their names. Barbara is a much better name than Barb if you want to be taken seriously.