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Barney

Barney is a boy's name of English origin meaning “defender.” In 2024 it was given to 7 boys in the United States.

Barney at a glance

Gender
Boy name
Origin
English & American
Meaning
“defender”
Pronunciation
/ˈbɑɹni/
Also spelled
Barnim

About the name Barney

Barney belongs to the English & American tradition. Its meaning — “defender” — is the sense carried by its English roots, and it is the meaning we verified against published sources for this page. It travels in a few spellings: Barnim.

In the United States, Barney first appears in Social Security records in 1880. It climbed to its best-ever rank of #202 in 1887, and in 2024 7 babies received the name — 16,085 in total since 1880. Those are the official counts, not estimates.

Barney in US records

First recorded (US)
1880
Best US rank
#202 in 1887
Peak year
1919
Babies named Barney in 2024
7
Total since 1880
16,085

Barney in England & Wales records

First recorded (since 1996)
1996
Best rank
#246 in 2021
Babies named Barney in 2025
179
Total since 1996
2,551

Spellings & short forms

Barnim

Similar names

More names from the English & American shelf:

WilliamEnglishRichardEnglishAnthonyEnglishMarkEnglishEdwardEnglishStevenEnglishNicholasEnglishLarryEnglish

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Barney mean?

Barney means “defender” in its English roots. We check every meaning against published sources before it appears here.

Is Barney a boy or girl name?

Barney is a boy name. In 2024, 7 babies received the name in the US.

What origin is the name Barney?

Barney comes from the English & American tradition. It is also spelled Barnim.

How popular is the name Barney?

Barney first appears in US records in 1880. Its best-ever ranking was #202 in 1887, and 7 babies were given the name in 2024.

How do you pronounce Barney?

Barney is pronounced /ˈbɑɹni/ (IPA).

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Meaning and origin for this page were checked against this source. US popularity figures are from the Social Security Administration's public baby-names data. England & Wales figures are from the Office for National Statistics. If you spot an error, write to [email protected] — accuracy is the whole point of this site, and corrections are made fast.