Barnabas
Son of consolation, of Hebrew origin, meaning "encourager".
Name Census estimates that about 545 living Americans carry the first name Barnabas. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Barnabas today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Barnabas births was 2017 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Barnabas. 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
545
~ 1 in 628,907 Americans
Peak year
2017
24 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,571
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Barnabas: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Barnabas from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 136 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Barnabas remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Barnabas 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 Barnabas during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Barnabas' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Barnabas
The name Barnabas has its origins in the Aramaic language, which was widely spoken in ancient times throughout the Middle East and parts of the Mediterranean region. It is believed to have derived from the Aramaic phrase "bar neḥmah," meaning "son of consolation" or "son of encouragement."
In the New Testament of the Bible, Barnabas was the given name of a prominent early Christian disciple and missionary companion of the apostle Paul. His original Hebrew name was Joseph, but he was given the additional name Barnabas by the apostles, as mentioned in the Book of Acts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Barnabas can be found in the apocryphal work known as the Epistle of Barnabas, which is attributed to the biblical figure of the same name. This work, dated to the late 1st or early 2nd century AD, provides insights into early Christian theology and practices.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Barnabas. One of the most famous was Barnabas of Alexandria, also known as Barnabas the Apostolic Father, who lived in the 1st century AD and is considered one of the Apostolic Fathers of the early Christian Church.
Another prominent figure was Saint Barnabas the Apostle, who lived in the 1st century AD and is venerated as one of the first Christians to preach the gospel outside of Judea. He is recognized as a saint in various Christian traditions, including the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches.
In the 9th century, Barnabas the Hermit, also known as Saint Barnabas of Terni, was a renowned Italian hermit and monk who founded several monasteries in central Italy.
During the Renaissance period, Barnabas Manasseh ben Joseph, a Jewish author and printer, lived in the 16th century and is known for his works on Jewish history and theology.
In more recent times, Barnabas Bates (1784-1858) was an American Baptist minister and educator who served as the president of Middlebury College in Vermont.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Barnabas, which has its roots in the ancient Aramaic language and is closely tied to early Christian history and tradition.
People
Barnabas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Barnabas 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
Barnabas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Barnabas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 545 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Barnabas 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 628,907 US residents.
Is Barnabas a common name?
We classify Barnabas as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 575 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Barnabas most popular?
The single biggest year for Barnabas was 2017, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Barnabas is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Barnabas a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Barnabas 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.
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.