boys' name ★ peaked 1962

Barry

Meaning white Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,520 Trend ↓ Falling 16%

Anglicized form of Irish Bairre, short form of Fionnbharr, from fionn (“white”) + barr (“head”).

Rank 2025
#1,520
among boys · ↓107 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
114
named Barry · -13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 14,983
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1962
6,611 babies
All-time total
182,036
#202 all-time among boys
First recorded
1883
in Social Security records

Barry popularity over time

182,036 babies have been named Barry since 1883, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 28 28 3 – #703
1890s – 38 38 4 +36% #706
1900s – 72 72 7 +89% #759
1910s – 244 244 24 +239% #786
1920s – 741 741 74 +204% #483
1930s 27 6,644 6,671 667 +800% #127
1940s 140 36,192 36,332 3,633 +445% #68
1950s 196 54,812 55,008 5,501 +51% #68
1960s 205 47,221 47,426 4,743 -14% #61
1970s 105 17,246 17,351 1,735 -63% #117
1980s 83 9,922 10,005 1,001 -42% #175
1990s 10 4,224 4,234 423 -58% #348
2000s – 1,831 1,831 183 -57% #677
2010s – 1,326 1,326 133 -28% #1,136
2020s (to 2025) – 729 729 122 -8% #1,325

Where Barry is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 111 0.06 outside top 500
2027 108 0.06 outside top 500
2028 106 0.06 outside top 500
2029 104 0.06 outside top 500
2030 103 0.06 outside top 500

Where Barry is most popular

Boys named Barry per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.069 per 1,000. Strongest in Missouri, New York, and Georgia.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Barry born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Missouri 27 0.195 +183%
New York 44 0.102 +48%
Georgia 23 0.091 +32%
New Jersey 18 0.089 +30%
North Carolina 21 0.082 +20%
Michigan 15 0.073 +6%
Washington 10 0.061 -11%
California 55 0.060 -13%
Florida 28 0.059 -14%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -29%
Texas 42 0.048 -31%
Pennsylvania 12 0.045 -34%
Colorado 5 0.039 -44%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -60%
Ohio 6 0.023 -67%
Illinois 5 0.020 -72%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Barry

Barry is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,520 in 2025 with 114 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1883, 182,036 American babies have been named Barry. Its peak came in 1962, when 6,611 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Barry stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Barry?

The median living Barry is about 64 years old; half are between 55 and 72. An estimated 133 thousand people named Barry are alive in the United States today.

median 64 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Barry year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 114 #1,520
2024 – – 131 #1,413
2023 – – 104 #1,650
2022 – – 124 #1,459
2021 – – 121 #1,479
2020 – – 135 #1,325
2019 – – 144 #1,287
2018 – – 155 #1,207
2017 – – 136 #1,323
2016 – – 170 #1,136
2015 – – 142 #1,267
2014 – – 124 #1,376
2013 – – 103 #1,540
2012 – – 113 #1,458
2011 – – 119 #1,396
2010 – – 120 #1,390
2009 – – 149 #1,210
2008 – – 157 #1,154
2007 – – 159 #1,130
2006 – – 169 #1,058
2005 – – 157 #1,053
2004 – – 175 #958
2003 – – 199 #867
2002 – – 193 #859
2001 – – 210 #799
2000 – – 263 #677
1995 – – 353 #540
1990 5 #13,195 693 #348
1985 9 #7,015 966 #240
1980 13 #5,264 1,396 #175
1975 – – 1,481 #164
1970 14 #4,052 2,797 #117
1965 17 #3,062 4,324 #86
1960 26 #2,313 5,733 #72
1955 19 #2,554 5,599 #70
1950 15 #2,665 4,694 #74
1945 14 #2,345 3,138 #84
1940 7 #3,531 1,835 #109
1935 7 #3,451 729 #183
1930 – – 240 #370
1925 – – 69 #794
1920 – – 28 #1,387
1915 – – 34 #1,103
1910 – – 15 #786
1905 – – 5 #1,247
1900 – – 10 #839
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 8 #703
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Barry

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Barry Manilow Barry Manilow American singer (born 1943) Contemporary
  2. 2 Barry Seal Barry Seal American drug smuggler (1939–1986) Contemporary
  3. 3 Barry Bonds Barry Bonds American baseball player (born 1964) Contemporary
  4. 4 Barry Van Dyke Barry Van Dyke American actor (born 1951) Contemporary
  5. 5 Barry Levinson Barry Levinson American filmmaker (born 1942) Contemporary
  6. 6 Barry Corbin Barry Corbin American actor (born 1940) Contemporary
  7. 7 Barry Goldwater Barry Goldwater American politician and military officer (1909–1998) Contemporary
  8. 8 Barry White Barry White American R&B, soul and disco singer (1944–2003) Contemporary
  9. 9 Barry Pepper Barry Pepper Canadian-American actor b. 1970 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Barry Bostwick Barry Bostwick American actor (born 1945) Contemporary
  11. 11 Barry Humphries Barry Humphries Australian comedian (1934–2023) Contemporary
  12. 12 Barry Watson Actor, United States b. 1974 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Barry Sonnenfeld Barry Sonnenfeld American film director and cinematographer (born 1953) Contemporary
  14. 14 Barry Jenkins Film director, United States b. 1979 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Barry Shabaka Henley Actor, United States b. 1954 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Barry McGuire Musician, United States b. 1935 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Barry Fitzgerald Barry Fitzgerald Irish actor (1888–1961) 19th century
  18. 18 Barry Nelson Barry Nelson American actor (1917–2007) Contemporary
  19. 19 Barry Sullivan Actor, United States 1912–1994 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Barry Morse Barry Morse British-Canadian actor (1918–2008) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Barry, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Barry?

The median living Barry is about 64 years old. Half of all living Barrys are between 55 and 72 years old.

How many people named Barry are alive today?

An estimated 133 thousand people named Barry are alive in the United States, based on 182,036 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Barry mean?

Anglicized form of Irish Bairre, short form of Fionnbharr, from fionn (“white”) + barr (“head”).

How popular is the name Barry in 2025?

Barry ranked #1,520 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 114 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Barry?

182,036 babies have been named Barry in the United States since 1883, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Barry most popular?

Barry peaked in 1962, when 6,611 newborns received the name.

Is Barry a boy or girl name?

Barry is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Barry rising or falling?

Barry has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Barry become more popular?

Barry is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 103 boys named Barry in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Barry?

Well-known people named Barry include Barry Manilow (singer), Barry Seal (extremist), Barry Bonds (baseball player).

Names like Barry

Names that sound and feel close to Barry: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Barry with similar names → More names starting with B →