Barnabas
Boy name · #3678 in 2025 · Very rare
In 2025, 30 baby boys were named Barnabas, placing it at #3678 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #5746, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 60,000 boys born in 2025 was named Barnabas.
Babies named Barnabas per year. Source: SSA.
The 105-year story
Barnabas first appears in the Social Security records in 1920, when 5 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 30 babies and a rank of #3658. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Barnabas against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Barnabas in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Barnabas is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Barnabas will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Barnabas is most common
State-level data for Barnabas is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Barnabas
Statistically, parents drawn to Barnabas tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Pinchas, Abbas, Benzion, Theodoros, and Ananias.
PinchasAbbasBenzionTheodorosAnaniasPhinehasGeorgiosBentzion
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Barnabas | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 30 | #3658 |
| 2024 | 22 | #4571 |
| 2023 | 19 | #5075 |
| 2022 | 13 | #6479 |
| 2021 | 16 | #5562 |
| 2020 | 22 | #4426 |
| 2019 | 17 | #5340 |
| 2018 | 9 | #8154 |
| 2017 | 24 | #4224 |
| 2016 | 13 | #6349 |
| 2015 | 15 | #5746 |
| 2014 | 14 | #5997 |
| 2013 | 18 | #4981 |
| 2012 | 8 | #8864 |
| 2011 | 9 | #8079 |
| 2010 | 9 | #8139 |
| 2009 | 10 | #7692 |
| 2008 | 9 | #8324 |
| 2007 | 7 | #9788 |
| 2006 | 9 | #7998 |
| 2005 | 10 | #7096 |
| 2003 | 8 | #7831 |
| 2002 | 9 | #7055 |
| 2000 | 10 | #6316 |
| 1998 | 10 | #5840 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Barnabas a popular boy name?
Barnabas ranked #3678 among boys in 2025 with 30 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #5746.
When was the name Barnabas most popular?
Barnabas peaked in 2025, when 30 American boys received the name (ranked #3658 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Barnabas?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 60,000 newborn American boys was named Barnabas. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.