Bar

UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Diminutive of Barbara or Barry

Bar has been given to 50 babies in the U.S. since 1996. It was used fewer than 5 times in 2025, so it doesn't appear in the latest year's list — today it's a genuinely uncommon pick. Its peak year was 2011, with 7 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 54% boys, 46% girls all-time.

Babies named Bar, 2020

1 in 668,000

Bar over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Bar over time

In 2020, Bar went to 0% girls and 100% boys.

19962020

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Bar: meaning, origin, and history

Diminutive of Barbara or Barry

Hebrew

What Bar means

Bar is a diminutive of Barbara or Barry.

Origin, language, and formation

Bar is used in English and Old English. Its origins include Hebrew.

Related names and everyday forms

Related names include Barbara and Barry.

Pronunciation and spelling

In Old English, Bar is pronounced /bɑːr/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 27 boys were recorded with the name Bar between 1996 and 2020. Its highest annual count was 7 in 2011; its best national rank was #9,132 in 1996.

In the United States, 23 girls were recorded with the name Bar between 2006 and 2015. Its highest annual count was 6 in 2006; its best national rank was #14,780 in 2015.

Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution

Meaning, origin, and language notes draw on the references below.

American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling. Counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

How common is Bar?

Bar had fewer than 5 recorded uses in 2025, so these figures use 2020, the last year it was published.

Among all babies, 2020: 1 in 668,000; 5 of 3,342,313 births
Among boys only: 1 in 345,000; <0.01% of boys
Rank, 2020: Unranked; Fewer than 5 uses
Coin-flip room size: 463,344 kids; Even odds of a second one

Where Bar sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2020 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%

Class of 30Under 1%

Grade of 100Under 1%

School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 463,344 children born in 2020 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Bar. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Bars were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Bar was born before 2011 — so the typical Bar is around 14 today.

Median birth year: 2011; About 14 years old
Biggest decade: 2010s; 63.0% of all use
Born in the last 25 years: 100.0%; A modern name
Recorded since 1950: 27; People you could plausibly meet

Choose a decade

2010s — 63.0% of all recorded uses (17).

Is Bar rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago: —; Not ranked then
Rank vs 5 years ago: New entry; Not ranked then
Rank vs 10 years ago: —; Not ranked then
Births vs 10 years ago: —; Not published both years
Share of its own peak: 0%; Peak was 2011 (7)
Years since peak: 14; Years
Year-to-year steadiness: Shifting; 20.0% average annual change
Best rank ever: #9,132; 1996

Bar by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025: Unranked
Trend vs 5 yrs ago: —
Best rank ever: #9,132; 1996
Peak year: 2011; 7 that year
First recorded: 1996
Last recorded: 2020
All-time count: 27
Count in 2025: Under 5

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025: Unranked
Trend vs 5 yrs ago: —
Best rank ever: #14,780; 2015
Peak year: 2006; 6 that year
First recorded: 2006
Last recorded: 2015
All-time count: 23
Count in 2025: Under 5

Names similar to Bar

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

Baris Baruk Barlas Bara Barr Barok Sabar Baruc Barin Barto Bardo Barri Baraa Baran Barren Barkot Barker Baren Barlow Bari Barre Barley Barber Barkon

Sibling names for Bar

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

For a sister

Elin Lilyanna Samiyah Adelle Kamille Kyndall Lillianna Leigha

For a brother

Jadiel Amare Jorden Semaj Giovani Xzavier Jerimiah Rylee

Explore around Bar

Top names of 2011, Bar's peak year The 2010s in full Other names that peaked in 1996 Boys' names starting with B