Boys' name · since 1953
Barnaby
380 babies named Barnaby in U.S. Social Security records since 1953, with the highest year being 1974. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #9,292 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,239 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 380
- born since 1953
- 1970s
- peak decade
Yes -- Barnaby is the #12239 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 380 recorded since 1953.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Barnaby has been recorded 380 times among boys since 1953, currently ranked #12239 nationally and more common than 12% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1953 to 2025.
- #9,292 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,239 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 380 born since 1953
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Barnaby ranks #9,292 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,239 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 380 born since 1953, peaking in the 1970s.
- #9,292 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,239 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 380
- born since 1953
- 1970s
- peak decade
Barnaby's 380 recorded births place it above 79.52% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by New York.
How Barnaby compares
380 Top 50% higher than 50% of 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
Barnaby's all-time total is 3% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Barnaby | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 380 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 19 | 34 | 22,252 |
Barnaby's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Barnaby splits its recorded history at 1982: 43% of all births land in the more recent half, 57% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1967 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1974 peak of 19 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Barnaby popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1953–2025
- Peak year (1974)
- 19
- Annual births at peak, across 73 years of records
Barnaby by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (123 births, 32% of the file).
1970s was Barnaby's strongest decade.
123 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Barnaby births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 25
1950s
25 births
- 1960s 48
1960s
48 births
- 1970s
1970s
123 births
- 1980s
1980s
74 births
- 1990s 16
1990s
16 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
- 2010s
2010s
55 births
- 2020s 34
2020s
34 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 123 births (32% of all-time use).
Barnaby by state
Where Barnaby concentrates geographically, total births since 1953
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 6 | 1.6% |
| #2 | California | | 5 | 1.3% |
6 of 380 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Barnaby? ▼
Where does Barnaby sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Barnaby most popular? ▼
Where is Barnaby most popular? ▼
How long has the name Barnaby been used? ▼
What names are similar to Barnaby? ▼
What to do with Barnaby's data
- Barnaby's decade-level peak was the 1970s (123 total births); usage has since declined to 34 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Barnabys (6 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Barnaby
Nearby Names Like Barnaby
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Barnaby
Compare Barnaby side by side: Barnaby vs Barry Barnaby vs Barrett Barnaby vs Bart
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Barnaby
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Barnaby: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1974)
Similar record span (~72 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, 1953–2025 (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 Barnaby 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.