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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201923peak #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.

Where Barney is popular in 1923

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedNHWashington: #180 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 1,377 boysWAIdaho: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedMNIllinois: #299 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 4,085 boysILWisconsin: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedWIMichigan: #257 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 2,774 boysMINew York: #328 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 5,546 boysNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedIAIndiana: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedINOhio: #461 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 10,435 boysOHPennsylvania: #431 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 11,045 boysPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedCTCalifornia: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedCAUtah: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedUTColorado: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedCONebraska: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedNEMissouri: #417 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 5,838 boysMOKentucky: #377 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 3,689 boysKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedWVVirginia: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedVAMaryland: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedNMKansas: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedKSArkansas: #262 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 1,769 boysARTennessee: #230 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 1,861 boysTNNorth Carolina: #279 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 2,568 boysNCSouth Carolina: #255 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 2,183 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedDCOklahoma: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedLAMississippi: #278 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 2,345 boysMSAlabama: #292 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 2,553 boysALGeorgia: #231 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 1,883 boysGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Barney, so not publishedHITexas: #238 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 1,333 boysTXFlorida: #266 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 2,042 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Washington#180 · 1 in 1,377
  2. Tennessee#230 · 1 in 1,861
  3. Georgia#231 · 1 in 1,883
  4. Texas#238 · 1 in 1,333
  5. South Carolina#255 · 1 in 2,183

Best ever in a state: #89 in Florida, 1915.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Washington#18071 in 1,377
Tennessee#230131 in 1,861
Georgia#231151 in 1,883
Texas#238391 in 1,333
South Carolina#25591 in 2,183
Michigan#257131 in 2,774
Arkansas#262101 in 1,769
Florida#26651 in 2,042
Mississippi#27881 in 2,345
North Carolina#279131 in 2,568
Alabama#292101 in 2,553
Illinois#299141 in 4,085
New York#328171 in 5,546
Kentucky#37771 in 3,689
Missouri#41751 in 5,838
Pennsylvania#43181 in 11,045
Ohio#46151 in 10,435
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1923

girls
#3,641
8 births · 1 in 150,796 girls
boys
#367
260 births · 1 in 4,216 boys

Top girls' names in 1923

  1. #1Mary71,634
  2. #2Dorothy39,043
  3. #3Helen31,486
  4. #4Margaret26,134
  5. #5Betty25,989
  6. #6Ruth23,637
  7. #7Virginia18,325
  8. #8Mildred15,989
  9. #9Elizabeth15,459
  10. #10Frances14,881
  11. #3,641Barney8

Top boys' names in 1923

  1. #1John57,467
  2. #2Robert56,111
  3. #3William52,136
  4. #4James50,462
  5. #5Charles28,966
  6. #6George27,025
  7. #7Joseph25,561
  8. #8Edward20,597
  9. #9Richard18,887
  10. #10Donald16,433
  11. #367Barney260
More about 1923

girls

1,206,366 girls got a published name in 1923; 1 in 150,796 of them was named Barney, which outranked 36.6% of the 5,739 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. #3,350Zelta9
  2. #3,350Zenith9
  3. #3,350Zillah9
  4. #3,641Barney8
  5. #3,641Aaron8
  6. #3,641Ader8
  7. #3,641Adlene8
  8. #3,971Adam7
  9. #3,971Adelaine7
  10. #3,971Adgie7

Tied with 329 names at #3,641; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1922
Risers
  1. 1,834Eris#2,291#457
  2. 619Penny#1,508#889
  3. 317Laurene#1,309#992
  4. 310Cruz#1,103#793
  5. 306Dorene#1,207#901
Fallers
  1. 321Veva#962#1,283
  2. 318Arlie#949#1,267
  3. 305Gaynell#978#1,283
  4. 303Trinidad#449#752
  5. 300Laurine#897#1,197

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

boys

1,096,102 boys got a published name in 1923; 1 in 4,216 of them was named Barney, which outranked 92.5% of the 4,904 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Barney
  1. #364Norris267
  2. #365Ed266
  3. #365Merlin266
  4. #367Barney260
  5. #367Cyril260
  6. #367Eli260
  7. #370Noah259
  8. #370Sol259
  9. #372Hollis258

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

Biggest movers since 1922
Risers
  1. 403Marcos#1,333#930
  2. 341Armin#1,333#992
  3. 309Betty#1,222#913
  4. 309Godfrey#1,222#913
  5. 308Val#1,181#873
Fallers
  1. 1,021Harden#999#2,020
  2. 472Buel#850#1,322
  3. 420Trinidad#485#905
  4. 304Gorden#722#1,026
  5. 288Joy#840#1,128

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

See the top 100 for 1923