Find out how popular the last name Barnabas is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Barnabas.

Barnabas, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Barnabas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barnabas in America

Barnabas is the 119508th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barnabas surname appeared 145 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Barnabas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barnabas to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Barnabas

The surname Barnabas is of Greek origin, derived from the personal name Barnabas, which itself is derived from the Aramaic bar-nāvâ, meaning "son of the prophet" or "son of consolation". The name is associated with the Biblical figure of Barnabas, a Jew from the island of Cyprus who was one of the earliest Christian disciples and a missionary companion of Paul.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Barnabas date back to the 13th century in various parts of Europe, particularly in England, France, and Italy. In England, the surname is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were records of landholders and their property holdings.

During the medieval period, the name Barnabas was also associated with several notable individuals. One such example is Barnabas of Terni (c. 1200-1272), an Italian Franciscan friar and preacher who was known for his eloquence and piety.

In the 14th century, the surname Barnabas appears in the records of the city of Venice, Italy. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Barnabas of Modena (c. 1315-1386), a renowned Italian physician and philosopher.

The 16th century saw the rise of several prominent individuals with the surname Barnabas. One such figure was Barnabas Brice (c. 1501-1568), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

Another notable bearer of the surname during this period was Barnabas Millichap (c. 1560-1624), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.

In the 17th century, the surname Barnabas can be found in various parts of Europe, including England, France, and the Netherlands. One notable individual from this period was Barnabas Oley (1600-1686), an English clergyman and writer who was a staunch advocate of the Church of England.

As the surname Barnabas spread throughout Europe and beyond, it also found its way to other parts of the world, including the Americas and Australia, often carried by immigrants and settlers from various European countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barnabas

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Barnabas.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Barnabas was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Barnabas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Barnabas was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Barnabas, please contact us.

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