Boy · #1,504 in 2026

Barry

Name: Popularity of the name Barry in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Barry, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Barry is both a given name and an Irish and West African surname. The given name can be an Anglicised form of some Irish personal names or shortened form of Barrington or Finbarr, while the surname has numerous etymological origins, and is derived from both place names and personal names.

Current Rank

#1,504

Peak Rank

#61 (1962)

Total Babies

181K

5-Yr Trend

-13%

1931

First Year

1992

Last Year

1963

Peak Year

#2094

Peak Rank

766

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Barry

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

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

The Story of Barry

Barry first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1883, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1962, when 6,584 Barrys were born — ranking #61 that year. As of 2026, Barry ranks #1,504 for baby boys with 119 births, gradually falling (-13%). In total, more than 181K Barrys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Barry

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

Barrie
Berry
Bury
Barrow
Barre
Berrie
Bari
Beery
Beary
Bowery
Bary
Berri

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Barry

What does the name Barry mean?

How popular is Barry in 2026?

In 2026, Barry ranks #1,504 among boys' names in the U.S., with 119 babies given the name that year.

When was Barry most popular?

Barry reached its peak popularity in 1962, ranking #61 that year with 6,584 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Barry most popular?

Barry has historically been most popular in Pennsylvania, Alabama, Kentucky. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Barry.

Is Barry a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Barry is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Barry?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Barry include Gene, Weston, Chase. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Barry

Barry is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1883 and has accumulated 181K births in the dataset. Barry's peak popularity came in 1962 when it ranked #61. Use the chart and map above to compare Barry'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.