From the experts:
Barnaby, a genial and energetic name with an Irish-sounding three-syllable lilt, is an ancient appellation that manages to be both unusual and highly attractive and deserves to be used more than it is. A sweet-spot name that's a real winner.
Barnaby is a version of Barnabas, the name of an Apostle companion of St. Paul on his missionary journeys. The name of the good-natured hero of Dickens's novel Barnaby Rudge, it became more familiar to the modern American public through the TV series Barnaby Jones. Barnaby has been a character in Hello, Dolly!, a doctor played by Cary Grant in the movie Monkey Business, a comic strip character, and has starred in a number of children's books.
16 names similar to Barnaby
These 16 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Barnaby. If you didn't find an alternative name that you like better than Barnaby, try our name generator. It allows you to go beyond the similarities of a name, which can provide a lot of inspiration!
Lists containing Barnaby
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Barnaby in Blog Posts
Popularity
Barnaby is #229 on Nameberry |
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Comments
Emilyjayne255 Says:
Hero_Phoebus Says:
I once knew of a boy named Barnaby Bernard - now that is one tongue twister of a name.
sweetsaltwatertaffy Says:
I'd like to formally disagree with the main page - Barnaby is the most hideous name of all time. Don't give it to your kids.
paulapuddephatt Says:
I love this name, and Barney as a nickname, and the purple dinosaur is a cute, fun association.
Wittyusername103 Says:
Nicknames are supposed to be shorter so you'd probably use Abel , Abe or Aby
MarisaRath Says:
I like it, but not Barney as a nn.
SB Says:
It's so cute! And yet so dorky... I have no idea why
lesliemarion Says:
Cozy delicious name like Chester.
headintheclouds Says:
On the surface, Barnaby seems like a name that'd automatically be put on my favorites list- three syllable, old-ish with meaning and roots, not obviously appealing to the general public. But nope :( I think of wallaby, the creepy purple Barney dinosaur, that gross Barney Stinson TV character and I associate it with some incompetent-type confused and bewildered joke character you'd often see in pop culture. This is one of the Nameberry loves I can't really get behind.
Bobcat108 Says:
Barney the Dinosaur is still the first thing that comes to my mind w/any variant of Barny.
Kayte Says:
Love this name! Great vintage name with a British feel.
Zelliew Says:
It sounds old hat to me
Hylian Wizard Says:
Yeah, me neither. Just another well-loved name I don't get. I mean, it's decent as far as names go but- what you said.
clairels Says:
They're onto something.
clairels Says:
Do not understand the appeal of this name at all. It sounds oafish, comical and cartoony.
Essa Says:
This was a name I used to find laughable yet somehow now I'm beginning to love it. It's strange how tastes change.
onlythingbetterthanhairspray Says:
I love this name so much but everyone in my family hates it with a burning passion for some reason.
CocoWhite Says:
Something about this name makes me feel all homey and warm inside.
Claredelune Says:
Total recent name crush. It sounds warm and confident and clever to me.
jem Says:
My brother's name :) I love it!
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No one in Australia is calling their kids Barnaby, google Barnaby Joyce and you will understand.