Barry
Barry was the 1520th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 114 babies. Its best year was 1962, when it ranked 61st with 6,585 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 253 places. More babies were named Barry in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning fair-haired (Irish Fionnbharr) · Irish
Say it BAIR-ee /ˈbɛɹi/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,520 boys, down 195 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 114boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19626,585 babies
- Total since 1880
- 182,036babies recorded
What does the name Barry mean?
Barry is the anglicized form of the Irish name Bairre, a short form of Fionnbharr, from fionn 'white, fair' and barr 'head', so 'fair-haired', as Wiktionary notes. Saint Finbarr is the patron of Cork. Barry is also a surname, which Wiktionary notes can come from place names in Scotland and Wales, and it can be a pet form of Bartholomew. It was popular in the US and Britain in the mid-20th century.
fionn (Irish, “white, fair”)barr (Irish, “head, top”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Finbar, Barra, Bairre.
See also: Irish names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Barry', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'fionn' (Irish section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Barry popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 766 since 1931.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,520 | 114 |
| 2020 | #1,325 | 135 |
| 2010 | #1,390 | 120 |
| 2000 | #677 | 263 |
| 1990 | #348 | 693 |
| 1980 | #175 | 1,396 |
| 1970 | #117 | 2,797 |
| 1960 | #72 | 5,733 |
| 1950 | #74 | 4,694 |
| 1940 | #109 | 1,835 |
| 1930 | #370 | 240 |
| 1920 | #1,387 | 28 |
| 1910 | #786 | 15 |
| 1900 | #839 | 10 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Barry, counting every spelling?
Barry is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,436 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,520 for Barry on its own. Together these spellings went to 114 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barry | 114 | #1,520 | 594 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Barry?
114 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Barry (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Barry born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 74 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Barry.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Barry?
About 123,900 people born in the US named Barry are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 56 and 72. That makes Barry a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Barry by state
How common Barry was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Missouri (2.8×). In 35 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Barry: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Barry, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Barry · Sibling names for Barry
Questions about the name Barry
What does Barry mean?
Barry means “fair-haired (Irish Fionnbharr)” (Irish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Barry?
Barry was the 1520th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 114 babies. Its best year was 1962, when it ranked 61st with 6,585 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 253 places. More babies were named Barry in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Barry a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Barry in the US.
Where is Barry most popular?
In 2021–2025, Barry was most common in Missouri (0.20 per 1,000 boys), followed by New York and Georgia.