Barnabas
Literal root meaning: “prophet's son”
About the name Barnabas
Barnabas is a boy name with Aramaic roots, literally “prophet's son”.
It has a unique feel. In 2025, Barnabas ranked #3669 for boys in the US, with 30 babies given the name. Its peak year since 1940 was 2025. Since 2000, 100% of US babies named Barnabas were boys.
Etymology
From Aramaic, meaning literally “prophet's son”.
Name meaning adapted from Wiktionary (“Barnabas”) by Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- US rank 2025
- #3669
- In 2015
- #5771
- Babies in 2025
- 30
Popularity of Barnabas, 1940–2025
Latest SSA data: 2025.
Popularity data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby names (public domain; names given to at least 5 babies of one sex per year).
Names similar to Barnabas
- Barnaby“prophet's son”
- Absalom“father of peace”
- Barak“lightning”
- Bart“son of Talmai; son of Ptolemy”
- Bartholomew“son of Talmai; son of Ptolemy”
- Bartlett“son of Talmai; son of Ptolemy”
- Baruch“blessed”
- Benji“son of the right/south or son of days”
- Benjie“son of the right/south or son of days”
- Benjy“son of the right/south or son of days”
Name meanings marked or linked “Wiktionary” are adapted from Wiktionary by Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; each name page links its source entry.