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.
- #16,312 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #9,795 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 118
- born since 1917
- 1950s
- peak decade
118 babies have been named Barlow since 1917, making it today's #9795 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Barlow has been recorded 118 times among boys since 1917, currently ranked #9795 nationally and more common than 30% 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.
- #16,312 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #9,795 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 118 born since 1917
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Barlow ranks #16,312 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,795 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 118 born since 1917, peaking in the 1950s.
- #16,312 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #9,795 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 118
- born since 1917
- 1950s
- peak decade
Barlow's 118 recorded births place it above 64.05% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Barlow compares
118 29th percentile among 13,930 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 (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 118 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 10 | 34 | 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 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
1950s is the heaviest window (32 births, 27% of the file).
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? ▼
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When was Barlow most popular? ▼
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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.
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
Compare Barlow side by side: Barlow vs Barry Barlow vs Barrett Barlow vs Bart
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Barlow
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Barlow: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1953)
Similar record span (~108 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.