Barnabas
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- BAR-na-bas
- Origin
- Aramaic
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,686 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,657 for boys
Barnabas is a boys' name of Aramaic origin, meaning “son of encouragement”. In 2025 it ranked 1,686th for boys in the UK (16 babies) and 3,657th for boys in the US (30 babies).
What does Barnabas mean?
Aramaic: Aramaic, via Greek
“son of encouragement”
In the New Testament Barnabas was a companion of St Paul on his first missionary journey.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Barnabas a girl's or a boy's name?
Barnabas is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 16 boys in the UK and 30 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Barnabas in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,686among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 16about 1 in 19,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 42% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 16 boys in the UK were named Barnabas, making it the 1,686th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,317th. Its busiest year was 2019, with 29 boys.
Half of all the boys named Barnabas in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2019. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,612th in England and Wales.
Barnabas in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | #1,686 |
| 2024 | 9 | #2,515 |
| 2023 | 13 | #1,917 |
| 2022 | 20 | #1,404 |
| 2021 | 17 | #1,547 |
| 2020 | 21 | #1,317 |
| 2019 | 29 | #1,061 |
| 2018 | 16 | #1,638 |
| 2017 | 17 | #1,563 |
| 2016 | 19 | #1,458 |
| 2015 | 21 | #1,324 |
| 2014 | 21 | #1,308 |
| 2013 | 22 | #1,241 |
| 2012 | 20 | #1,342 |
| 2011 | 14 | #1,697 |
| 2010 | 15 | #1,654 |
| 2009 | 19 | #1,340 |
| 2008 | 17 | #1,436 |
| 2007 | 16 | #1,458 |
| 2006 | 9 | #1,995 |
| 2005 | 13 | #1,522 |
| 2004 | 10 | #1,688 |
| 2003 | 4 | #2,990 |
| 2002 | 11 | #1,384 |
| 2001 | 15 | #1,103 |
| 2000 | 12 | #1,235 |
| 1999 | 12 | #1,188 |
| 1998 | 14 | #1,062 |
| 1997 | 12 | #1,174 |
| 1996 | 11 | #1,215 |
How popular is Barnabas in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,657among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 30about 1 in 57,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 48% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 30 boys in the US were named Barnabas, making it the 3,657th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,422nd. It first appears in the records in 1920.
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had the most boys named Barnabas of any year since it first appeared, in 1920.
Half of all the boys named Barnabas in the US since 1880 were born between 1984 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
Barnabas in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 30 | #3,657 |
| 2024 | 22 | #4,567 |
| 2023 | 19 | #5,070 |
| 2022 | 13 | #6,473 |
| 2021 | 16 | #5,557 |
| 2020 | 22 | #4,422 |
| 2019 | 17 | #5,336 |
| 2018 | 9 | #8,150 |
| 2017 | 24 | #4,220 |
| 2016 | 13 | #6,344 |
| 2015 | 15 | #5,742 |
| 2014 | 14 | #5,993 |
| 2013 | 18 | #4,978 |
| 2012 | 8 | #8,858 |
| 2011 | 9 | #8,072 |
| 2010 | 9 | #8,133 |
| 2009 | 10 | #7,687 |
| 2008 | 9 | #8,319 |
| 2007 | 7 | #9,782 |
| 2006 | 9 | #7,992 |
| 2005 | 10 | #7,089 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 8 | #7,824 |
| 2002 | 9 | #7,048 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 10 | #6,309 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 10 | #5,834 |
| 1997 | 10 | #5,636 |
| 1996 | 7 | #7,129 |
| 1995 | 7 | #6,985 |
| 1994 | 11 | #5,103 |
| 1993 | 5 | #8,693 |
| 1992 | 9 | #5,652 |
| 1991 | 11 | #4,752 |
| 1990 | 10 | #4,986 |
| 1989 | 8 | #5,608 |
| 1988 | 9 | #4,781 |
| 1987 | 9 | #4,567 |
| 1986 | 10 | #4,126 |
| 1985 | 7 | #5,142 |
| 1984 | 8 | #4,549 |
| 1983 | 7 | #4,904 |
| 1982 | 7 | #5,001 |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 9 | #4,133 |
| 1979 | 6 | #5,353 |
| 1978 | 10 | #3,613 |
| 1977 | 7 | #4,580 |
| 1976 | 6 | #4,933 |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 9 | #3,443 |
| 1972 | 6 | #4,438 |
| 1971 | 6 | #4,373 |
| 1970 | 7 | #3,834 |
| 1969 | 10 | #2,860 |
| 1968 | 6 | #3,672 |
| 1967 | 7 | #3,229 |
| 1966 | 6 | #3,535 |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 5 | #4,038 |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 5 | #3,986 |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 5 | #3,796 |
| 1952 | 5 | #3,731 |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 5 | #3,678 |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 5 | #3,548 |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 5 | #4,284 |
Nicknames for Barnabas
Names like Barnabas
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad Ibrahim Abdullah Musa Mustafa Ahmed Zayd Umar Hamza Huzaifa Zayan Zayaan
More Aramaic names
Thomas Tommy Martha Barnaby Barney Tabitha Tomas Tadeo Tom Thaddeus Tomos Marta Tommie Tomi Saphira Tommaso
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Barnabas: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/barnabas, updated 20 October 2026.