Bari
A given name meaning great or strong in Turkish.
Name Census estimates that about 1,581 living Americans carry the first name Bari. It is a predominantly female name (92.0% of registrations). The average person named Bari today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bari births was 1960 (78 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bari. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 216,796 Americans
Peak year
1960
78 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,060
Tracked since 1937
Gender
Gender distribution for Bari
Bari leans heavily female at 92.0% of total registrations, but 158 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Bari as a male name
- Ranked #9,060 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1961 (10 births)
Bari as a female name
- Ranked #12,324 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1960 (78 births)
Popularity
Bari: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bari from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 536 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bari by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bari during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Baris live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. New York, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Bari, while Oklahoma, Ohio, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 70 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bari
The name Bari is believed to have its origins in the Indian subcontinent, deriving from the Sanskrit word "vairi" which means "enemy" or "opponent". It is also thought to be a variation of the name "Bari" which means "brave" or "courageous" in some Indian languages.
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, the name Bari is mentioned as a warrior or a brave soldier. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the epic poem Mahabharata, where a character named Bari is described as a skilled archer and a fierce warrior.
The name Bari gained popularity in India during the medieval period, particularly among the warrior classes and nobles. One of the most famous historical figures with the name Bari was Bari Malik, a powerful military commander who served under the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century.
In the realm of Indian classical music, Bari Ghulam Ali Khan (1902-1968) was a renowned vocalist and a prominent figure in the Patiala gharana (musical lineage). His contribution to the preservation and promotion of Hindustani classical music is highly regarded.
Moving to the world of sports, Bari Aliyu (born 1980) is a Nigerian footballer who has represented his country in international competitions. He played as a striker for several clubs in Nigeria and abroad.
In the field of literature, Bari Siddiqi (1923-2010) was a prominent Urdu poet, playwright, and novelist from Pakistan. He was awarded the prestigious Pride of Performance award by the Pakistani government for his literary achievements.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Bari. While the name has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has transcended cultural boundaries and gained recognition in various parts of the world.
People
Bari + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bari as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bari: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bari?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,581 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bari going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 216,796 US residents.
Is Bari a common name?
We classify Bari as "Rare". It ranks above 92.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,964 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bari most popular?
The single biggest year for Bari was 1960, when 78 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bari is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bari a female name?
Yes, 92.0% of people registered as Bari in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.