Barney

Last seen for girls in 1963 at #6,592 · #12,008 for boys in 2025, 5 births
Given to boys 99.4% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1887 · 58 births
Debut · boys
44 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
16,090
since 1880

Barney over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Barney has never cracked the top 200 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201921peak #201, 1887boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#12,0085
2024#9,8947
2023
2022
2021
2020#12,0225
2019#12,1455
2018
2017
2016#9,6647
2015#10,6446
2014#12,1085
2013#8,7898
2012
2011
2010#10,7666
2009
2008
2007#10,9216
2006#10,6626
2005
2004#9,9486
2003
2002#8,4567
2001#10,5565
2000
1999#7,8747
1998#5,15912
1997#4,66813
1996#6,4968
1995#4,79112
1994#3,75117
1993#3,14121
1992#2,74725
1991#2,46928
1990#2,30830
1989#2,69023
1988#1,59245
1987#1,89633
1986#1,66238
1985#1,56941
1984#1,45843
1983#1,36147
1982#1,34249
1981#1,25953
1980#1,20458
1979#1,16960
1978#1,10962
1977#1,04768
1976#94677
1975#1,05362
1974#92377
1973#93674
1972#84690
1971#803100
1970#87585
1969#78297
1968#75696
1967#74298
1966#672121
1965#646133
1964#581185
1963#6,5925#607167
1962#548211
1961#530223
1960#6,3905#485267
1959#507241
1958#482262
1957#5,3776#470271
1956#468260
1955#448275
1954#5,1486#449259
1953#402297
1952#409283
1951#420260
1950#415264
1949#450219
1948#419255
1947#4,7646#418267
1946#423225
1945#4,0256#413211
1944#4,5745#404220
1943#418220
1942#464179
1941#435178
1940#415194
1939#4,2505#417188
1938#420183
1937#383209
1936#383206
1935#402184
1934#386200
1933#400180
1932#440164
1931#418181
1930#389216
1929#406205
1928#415208
1927#3,8757#438193
1926#4,8515#409214
1925#3,6648#396230
1924#359275
1923#3,6418#367260
1922#370263
1921#4,0237#351289
1920#4,9755#369263
1919#319304
1918#331299
1917#307298
1916#3,5527#324265
1915#306276
1914#288241
1913#291185
1912#283159
1911#26199
1910#29171
1909#28562
1908#28558
1907#26364
1906#23271
1905#23470
1904#26053
1903#25750
1902#26150
1901#30234
1900#21683
1899#23450
1898#20473
1897#22258
1896#23758
1895#23755
1894#23952
1893#21563
1892#20870
1891#22949
1890#25644
1889#22254
1888#21269
1887#20158
1886#20565
1885#25143
1884#20962
1883#22548
1882#22852
1881#24440
1880#24944
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Barney was already there! It came in at #249, and was given to 44 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2000–2001, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

See more about Barney
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 2,114 spots since 2024 (#9,894#12,008)
  • 14 spots since 2020 (#12,022#12,008)
  • 1,364 spots since 2015 (#10,644#12,008)
  • Biggest jump: 107 spots in 1976 (#1,053#946)
  • Biggest drop: 130 spots in 1975 (#923#1,053)
Rise & fade · boys
7 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1887 at #201 (58 births)
  • Births halved by 1989, 102 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 96 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 96 yrs · run 1880–1974
Share of babies · boys
1 in 1,681
  • Highest: 1 in 1,681 boys born in 1898 were named Barney (0.06%)
  • Latest: 1 in 341,615 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #201 in 1887, was only 1 in 1,748 (0.06%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 16.6% of all boys named Barney (2,672) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s535#201 (1887)#225
1890s572#204 (1898)#228
1900s595#216 (1900)#260
1910s2,197#261 (1911)#300
1920s2,400#351 (1921)#388
1930s1,911#383 (1937)#404
1940s2,168#404 (1944)#426
1950s2,672#402 (1953)#447
1960s1,598#485 (1960)#635
1970s755#803 (1971)#971
1980s430#1,204 (1980)#1,603
1990s173#2,308 (1990)#4,340
2000s30#8,456 (2002)#10,109
2010s37#8,789 (2013)#10,686
2020s17#9,894 (2024)#11,308

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Barney in 1921

girls
#4,023
7 births · 1 in 176,151 girls
boys
#351
289 births · 1 in 3,811 boys

Top girls' names in 1921

  1. #1Mary73,984
  2. #2Dorothy39,087
  3. #3Helen34,822
  4. #4Margaret28,468
  5. #5Ruth25,783
  6. #6Virginia19,032
  7. #7Mildred17,880
  8. #8Betty17,638
  9. #9Frances15,993
  10. #10Elizabeth15,800
  11. #4,023Barney7

Top boys' names in 1921

  1. #1John58,216
  2. #2Robert52,779
  3. #3William51,862
  4. #4James49,750
  5. #5Charles29,242
  6. #6George27,476
  7. #7Joseph26,182
  8. #8Edward20,817
  9. #9Frank16,705
  10. #10Richard16,376
  11. #351Barney289
More about 1921

girls

1,233,058 girls got a published name in 1921; 1 in 176,151 of them was named Barney, which outranked 31.5% of the 5,871 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Barney
  1. #3,666Zenia8
  2. #3,666Zilphia8
  3. #3,666Zylpha8
  4. #4,023Barney7
  5. #4,023Achsah7
  6. #4,023Addis7
  7. #4,023Adlena7
  8. #4,464Abelina6
  9. #4,464Adamae6
  10. #4,464Addell6

Tied with 440 names at #4,023; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1920
Risers
  1. 4,238Elwanda#4,975#737
  2. 458Noreen#1,255#797
  3. 440Venice#1,375#935
  4. 343Isobel#1,312#969
  5. 306Aida#1,119#813
Fallers
  1. 612Lilia#931#1,543
  2. 345Denise#931#1,276
  3. 330Aleen#968#1,298
  4. 269Virgil#968#1,237
  5. 265Aldona#903#1,168

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,101,449 boys got a published name in 1921; 1 in 3,811 of them was named Barney, which outranked 93.0% of the 4,985 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Barney
  1. #346Jean291
  2. #346Ollie291
  3. #350Norris290
  4. #351Barney289
  5. #351Alva289
  6. #351Claud289
  7. #351Winston289
  8. #355Ned288
  9. #356Ed287
  10. #357Thaddeus284

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1920
Risers
  1. 828Kevin#1,543#715
  2. 499Enrico#1,157#658
  3. 435Richmond#1,225#790
  4. 427Reynaldo#1,252#825
  5. 425Art#1,416#991
Fallers
  1. 391Stacy#835#1,226
  2. 279Gorden#947#1,226
  3. 248Brady#653#901
  4. 246Guillermo#812#1,058
  5. 219Lindsay#903#1,122

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1921