Declining since 2022, #8,910 for boys today.
Popularity of Barnes since 1913
Babies named Barnes per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2023, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Barnes's real moment was 1914.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 18 |
| 1920s | 39 |
| 1930s | 18 |
| 1940s | 21 |
| 1950s | 11 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 5 |
| 2010s | 45 |
| 2020s | 38 |
Meaning & origin
Barnes is an English surname-turned-given-name that has seen limited but consistent use since the early 20th century. It first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1913 and reached its peak popularity in 1914, its second year on record. However, the name has never ranked in the top 1000 and remains a rarity. In 2025, Barnes ranked 8,910th, with only about 1 in 213,510 newborn boys receiving the name. Its trajectory has been falling since 2022, but it retains a sturdy, old-fashioned charm. The name's surname origins give it a preppy, distinguished feel, and it has not seen any major top-state concentrations. Barnes remains a distinctive choice for parents seeking a traditional but uncommon name.
Barnes is an English occupational surname derived from the Middle English 'berne' (barn) plus the patronymic '-s'. It originally denoted someone who worked at or lived near a barn. As a given name, it came into use in the late 19th or early 20th century, following the 19th-century fashion for surnames as first names. It has never been common, though it has seen sporadic usage in the United States since the early 1900s.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Barney
Variants: Barns
Sibling names for Barnes
Names that share Barnes's style, for a brother or sister.
