Barnabas
About Barnabas
Barnabas, whose birth name was Joseph, was one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem, who undertook missionary journeys with Paul the Apostle, His name is a bit Old World compared to the update Barnaby, but could gain some attention as boys' names ending in 's' are enjoying a comeback.
Pronounced BAR-nuh-bus.
As of October 2026, Barnabas ranked #3669 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2883 in 1969.
Editor: Pamela Redmond
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | #4,234 | 24 | 13 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | #4,437 | 22 | 12.7 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | #4,571 | 22 | 12.8 |
| 2025 | #3,669 | 30 | 17.6 |
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Barnabas.
- Ferdinand
- Mortimer
- Archibald
- Bertram
- Horatio
- Horace
- Virgil
- Cecil
- Fitzwilliam
- Bartholomew
- Vivian
- Oswald
- Cornelius
- Hiram
- Humphrey
- Thaddaeus
- Pascal
- Ulysses
- Ebenezer
- Orville
Barnabas on lists
Famous Barnabass
- Barnabas
biblical disciple
- Barnabas Bidwell
U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts
- Barnabas Kelet Henagan
American politician; 58th Governor of South Carolina
- Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini
Prime Minister of Swaziland
- Barnabas Oley
English churchman, academic and editor during the First Civil War
- Barnabas Andyar Iyorhyer Gemade
Nigerian Senator
- Barnabas Gooch
English MP and academic
Barnabas in pop culture
- Barnabas Collins
character on TV's "Dark Shadows"
- Barnabas
scary character in Russian stories
- Barnabas
demon in "Charmed"
- Barnabas "Barney" Stinson
character from "How I Met Your Mother
- Barnabas Hale
warlock in Cassandra Clare's trilogy "The Dark Artifices"