Barlas
Of Turkish origin, meaning "strong and powerful."
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Barlas. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Barlas today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Barlas births was 2021 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Barlas. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Barlas with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Barlas. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2021
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,521
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Barlas: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Barlas 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 Barlas during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 15 | 0 | 15 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Barlas
The name Barlas is of Turkish origin, derived from the Turkic word "bars," which means "panther" or "leopard." It is believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century among the Turko-Mongol tribes of Central Asia.
One of the earliest known references to the name Barlas can be found in the historical records of the Mongol Empire. Barlas was the name of a prominent Mongol leader and military commander who served under Genghis Khan and his successors. He played a significant role in the conquest of Persia and the expansion of the Mongol Empire in the early 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name Barlas gained further prominence when it became associated with the Barlas clan, a powerful Turkic tribe that ruled over parts of modern-day Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The Barlas clan played a crucial role in the rise of the Timurid dynasty, founded by Timur (also known as Tamerlane), one of the most formidable military leaders in history.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Barlas. Here are five examples:
1. Barlas Khan (c. 1281-1333), a powerful Mongol ruler and military commander who conquered parts of present-day Iran and Afghanistan.
2. Barlas Agha (c. 1460-1511), a Turkish statesman and military leader who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Bayezid II.
3. Barlas Mehmed Pasha (c. 1506-1573), an Ottoman statesman and military commander who served as the Grand Vizier under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
4. Barlas Borujerdi (1892-1959), an influential Iranian Shia Muslim cleric and scholar who played a significant role in the religious and political affairs of Iran during the 20th century.
5. Barlas Kuliev (1916-2015), a prominent Soviet and Uzbek writer and poet who made significant contributions to Uzbek literature and was awarded the prestigious Navoi Prize.
While the name Barlas has its roots in Central Asia, it has spread to various parts of the world over time, particularly among Turkish and Persian communities. However, its historical significance and associations with notable figures from the past remain closely tied to the Turkic and Mongol cultures of the region.
People
Barlas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Barlas 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
Barlas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Barlas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Barlas 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Barlas a common name?
We classify Barlas as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Barlas most popular?
The single biggest year for Barlas was 2021, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Barlas is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Barlas in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Barlas a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Barlas in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Barlas still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Barlas in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Barlas can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Barlas?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Barlas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.