Boy · #10,860 in 2026

Barley

Barley, a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. One of the first cultivated grains, it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikelets and making it much easier to harvest. Its use then spread throughout Eurasia by 2000 BC. Barley prefers relatively low temperatures and well-drained soil to grow.

Current Rank
#10,860
Peak Rank
#9,549 (2020)
Total Babies
19
5-Yr Trend
Stable
2020
First Year
2022
Last Year
2020
Peak Year
#9549
Peak Rank
19
Total Count
3
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Barley

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Barley, a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. One of the first cultivated grains, it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikelets and making it much easier to harvest. Its use then spread throughout Eurasia by 2000 BC. Barley prefers relatively low temperatures and well-drained soil to grow.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
The Barley Barn at Cressing , Essex , built around 1220; its name means "barley barley-store". The Old English word for barley was bere . This survives in the north of Scotland as bere ; it is used for a strain of six-row barley grown there. Modern English barley derives from the Old English adjective bærlic , meaning "of barley". The word barn derives from Old English bere-aern meaning "barley-store". The name of the genus is from Latin hordeum , barley, likely related to Latin horrere , to bristle .

The Story of Barley

Barley first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 2020, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2020, when 7 Barleys were born — ranking #9,549 that year. As of 2026, Barley ranks #10,860 for baby boys with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 19 Barleys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2020s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
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VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
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AR
TN
NC
SC
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OK
LA
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Top 10
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500+
No data

Names that sound like Barley

Phonetically similar names — useful when Barley is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Barley

What does the name Barley mean?
Barley, a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. One of the first cultivated grains, it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikelets and making it much easier to harvest. Its use then spread throughout Eurasia by 2000 BC. Barley prefers relatively low temperatures and well-drained soil to grow.
How popular is Barley in 2026?
In 2026, Barley ranks #10,860 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.
When was Barley most popular?
Barley reached its peak popularity in 2020, ranking #9,549 that year with 7 babies given the name.
Is Barley a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Barley is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Barley?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Barley include Barker, Booth, Sahr. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Barker
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Booth
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Sahr
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Annan
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Saith
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About the name Barley

Barley is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2020 and has accumulated 19 births in the dataset. Barley's peak popularity came in 2020 when it ranked #9,549. Use the chart and map above to compare Barley's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.