A 1910s favorite, climbing again.
Popularity of Barlow since 1917
Babies named Barlow per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1953, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Barlow's real moment was 1917.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 8 |
| 1920s | 5 |
| 1930s | 20 |
| 1940s | 11 |
| 1950s | 32 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 6 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 5 |
| 2020s | 31 |
Meaning & origin
Barlow is an English surname turned given name, first recorded for boys in 1917. After a long period of obscurity, the name has been rising in use since 2017, and in 2025 it ranked 9,714th, with approximately 1 in 244,011 boys receiving the name. Its peak historical use remains 1917, the year of its first recorded appearance. Barlow fits a modern trend of using surname-style names that feel both grounded and distinctive. Without any top state concentration, it remains a rare choice nationwide, appealing to parents seeking an uncommon name with a clear occupational meaning rooted in English geography.
Barlow is an English surname transferred to first name use. It derives from various place names in England, most likely from Old English 'bere' (barley) and 'hlaw' (hill), meaning 'barley hill'. The name has been used as a given name occasionally since the 19th century, and saw a modest revival in the 2010s.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Bar
Sibling names for Barlow
Names that share Barlow's style, for a brother or sister.
