Total births
118
Boys' name · since 1917
Barlow
Barlow has 118 recorded births since 1917 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1953 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #9085
- among boys today
- 118
- born since 1917
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 36%
- more common than other boys
118 babies have been named Barlow since 1917, making it today's #9085 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Barlow has been recorded 118 times among boys since 1917, currently ranked #9085 nationally and more common than 36% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1917 to 2025.
- #9085 among boys today
- 118 born since 1917
- 1950s peak decade
- 36% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Barlow is currently the #9085 boys' name in America, more common than 36% of boys - 118 born since 1917, peaking in the 1950s.
- #9085
- among boys today
- 118
- born since 1917
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 36%
- more common than other boys
Barlow vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#9085
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 36% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Barlow was born in this single decade.
1953
Single peak year
10 babies were named Barlow in 1953 - its busiest year on record.
How Barlow compares
118 29th percentile among 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Barlow's all-time total is 68% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Barlow | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 118 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 10 | 23 | 22,252 |
Barlow's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Barlow's full recorded timeline at 1956, 50% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 50% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1929, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1953 peak of 10 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Barlow at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1953
Current rank
#9,085
Active since
1917
Barlow popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1917–2025
- Peak year (1953)
- 10
- Annual births at peak, across 109 years of records
Barlow by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Barlow's strongest decade.
32 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Barlow births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 8
1910s
8 births
- 1920s 5
1920s
5 births
- 1930s
1930s
20 births
- 1940s 11
1940s
11 births
- 1950s
1950s
32 births
- 1970s 6
1970s
6 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
- 2020s
2020s
31 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 32 births (27% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Barlow? ▼
Barlow has been given to 118 babies in the U.S. since 1917, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #9085 as of the latest data. 10 babies were born in 1953, its single highest year.
When was Barlow most popular? ▼
Barlow was most popular in the 1950s decade with 32 total births. The single peak year was 1953.
How long has the name Barlow been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Barlow since 1917 -- 109 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Barlow? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Barry, Barrett, Bart, Barney, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Barlow's data
- Barlow's usage has stayed within range of its 1950s decade-level peak (32 total births) through the 2020s (31) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Barlow
Nearby Names Like Barlow
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Barlow
Barry Boy
#1413 181,270 births
Barrett Boy
#187 33,425 births
Bart Boy
16,356 births
Barney Boy
#9895 16,090 births
Barton Boy
#12365 9,371 births
Compare Barlow side by side: Barlow vs Barry Barlow vs Barrett Barlow vs Bart
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Barlow
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1917–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Barlow: #9085 Boys' Name - 118 Births, Peak 1953." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/barlow. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Barlow draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.