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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201940peak #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 1940

boys
#415
194 births · 1 in 5,975 boys

Top boys' names in 1940

  1. #1James62,481
  2. #2Robert61,198
  3. #3John54,786
  4. #4William44,779
  5. #5Richard37,425
  6. #6Charles31,689
  7. #7David27,690
  8. #8Thomas23,991
  9. #9Donald23,115
  10. #10Ronald20,741
  11. #415Barney194
More about 1940

boys

1,159,172 boys got a published name in 1940; 1 in 5,975 of them was named Barney, which outranked 89.5% of the 3,937 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Barney
  1. #411Frederic197
  2. #411Monroe197
  3. #414Hal196
  4. #415Barney194
  5. #415Guadalupe194
  6. #415Kurt194
  7. #418Armando193
  8. #418Coy193
  9. #418Gabriel193

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

Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 565Whitney#1,458#893
  2. 447Gonzalo#1,297#850
  3. 419Weston#1,323#904
  4. 368Ashley#1,272#904
  5. 366Agustin#1,238#872
Fallers
  1. 886Montie#916#1,802
  2. 446Verlon#888#1,334
  3. 394Issac#857#1,251
  4. 392Otho#942#1,334
  5. 384Pearl#867#1,251

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

See the top 100 for 1940