Will my child share the name Barnaby with classmates?

Unlikely. With around 273 UK babies named Barnaby per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Barnaby in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.

Is Barnaby becoming more or less popular in the UK?

Barnaby is at its highest recorded position — #185 in 2025, with 273 births. In 2020 it ranked #213.

Is Barnaby a good choice for a distinctive name?

Barnaby is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.

Who are some famous people named Barnaby?

Notable people named Barnaby include: Barnaby Joyce, George Barnaby and Matthew Barnaby.

Is Barnaby a popular baby name in the United States?

Barnaby does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice.

👦 Boy's name 📊 Moderately Common UK #185

Barnaby

🗳️ Add Barnaby to a family shortlist

Barnaby sits comfortably in the UK charts at #185 in 2025 — recognisable but not overwhelming. Your child may occasionally share their name.

📊

UK Rank 2025

#185

About the Name Barnaby

2024 marks Barnaby's peak year in UK records so far, sitting at UK #195. It has been building momentum steadily rather than spiking suddenly. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.

Barnaby is fairly common in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Barnaby in their class.

⭐ Famous People Named Barnaby

Barnaby Joyce — Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce is an Australian politician who served as the deputy prime minister of Australia and the leader of the National Party from 2016 to 2018 and from 2021 to 2022.
Barnaby Fitzpatrick — Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 2nd Baron Upper Ossory was an Irish military officer and politician.
George Barnaby — George Barnaby is a former territorial level politician from Northwest Territories, Canada.

Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the name Barnaby

273

UK babies named Barnaby (2025)

~0.0

Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)

~0.1

In a school of 600

↑ 28 places

Rank change (last 5 years)

🏫 Who else is in the room?

In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Barnaby

Almost certainly the only Barnaby in the class

UK Popularity (1996–2025)

Rank and birth count · ONS official data

No US data available for this name

✨ Similar names to Barnaby

Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story

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About the Name Barnaby

Meaning

meaning young warrior, and the Danish suffix by meaning 'settlement'.

Famous People Named Barnaby

Notable people who share this name, from history to the present day. See full list on Wikipedia

Barnaby Joyceb. 1967

Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce is an Australian politician who served as the deputy prime minister of Australia and the leader of the National Party from 2016 to 2018 and from 2021 to 2022.

Barnaby FitzpatrickHistorical

Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 2nd Baron Upper Ossory was an Irish military officer and politician.

George Barnaby

George Barnaby is a former territorial level politician from Northwest Territories, Canada.

Matthew Barnaby

Matthew Barnaby is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger.

Barnaby Swire

Barnaby Nicholas Swire is a British billionaire businessman.