Barnabas
Barnabas is both a masculine given name and a surname. As a given name, it is a New Testament name which means "son of the prophet". Variants of the name include Barnaba, Barnaby, and Barnabás, a Hungarian masculine given name.
Meaning & Origin of Barnabas
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Barnabas is both a masculine given name and a surname. As a given name, it is a New Testament name which means "son of the prophet". Variants of the name include Barnaba, Barnaby, and Barnabás, a Hungarian masculine given name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Barnabas
Barnabas first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1920, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2017, when 24 Barnabass were born — ranking #4,223 that year. As of 2026, Barnabas ranks #4,858 for baby boys with 20 births, gradually rising (+7%). In total, more than 615 Barnabass have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Barnabas
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Barnabas , born Joseph, first-century AD Christian disciple
- Andrew Barnabas , video game music composer
- John Barnabas (1929–1994), Indian evolutionary biologist
- Levi Barnabas (born 1964), Canadian politician
- Mathews Barnabas (1924–2012), Malankara Metropolitan
- Yetunde Barnabas (born 1990), Nigerian model and actress
- Vicent Barnabas (born 1985), Tanzanian footballer
- Yusuf Barnabas Bala (1956–2021), Nigerian politician and architect
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Barnabas
Phonetically similar names — useful when Barnabas is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Barnabus
- Barnaby
- Bonobos
- Bonobo
- Barabbas
- Barabas
- Barnets
- Bareness
- Burnaby
- Paribus
- Bombus
- Barnhouse
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Barnabas
What does the name Barnabas mean?
How popular is Barnabas in 2026?
When was Barnabas most popular?
In which U.S. states is Barnabas most popular?
Is Barnabas a unisex name?
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About the name Barnabas
Barnabas is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1920 and has accumulated 615 births in the dataset. Barnabas's peak popularity came in 2017 when it ranked #2,862. Use the chart and map above to compare Barnabas's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2017 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.