Where does the name Barry come from?

Barry is a boy name of Irish origin.

Is Barry a boy or a girl name?

Barry is overwhelmingly a boy name in the United States. Of the 181,025 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are boys.

How popular is the name Barry in 2023?

Barry ranks #1650 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1962 with 6,585 babies.

How do you pronounce Barry?

Barry is pronounced BA-ree (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Barry?

Barry is also written as Barrie, Bari.

A name from Irish · Boy

Barry

Anglicized form of Irish Bairre, a short form of Fionnbharr meaning 'fair-headed'. Saint Finbarr was a 6th-century Irish bishop and founder of Cork.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 140-year arc in numbers.

181,025 U.S. births recorded from 1883–2023.

Popularity · 1883–2023

104 births in 2023

1883 1953 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

BAnglicized form of Irish Bairre, a short form of Fionnbharr meaning 'fair-headed'. Saint Finbarr was a 6th-century Irish bishop and founder of Cork.

Variants & spellings

2 ways to spell "Barry".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Barrie Most common Bari

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Barry.

B
Barry Manilow (singer-songwriter)
B
Barry Bonds (MLB home-run king)
B
Barry White (soul singer)

Quick answers

People often ask about Barry.

What does the name Barry mean?: Barry means anglicized form of Irish Bairre, a short form of Fionnbharr meaning 'fair-headed'. Saint Finbarr was a 6th-century Irish bishop and founder of Cork.
Where does the name Barry come from?: Barry is a boy name of Irish origin.
Is Barry a boy or a girl name?: Barry is overwhelmingly a boy name in the United States. Of the 181,025 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are boys.
How popular is the name Barry in 2023?: Barry ranks #1650 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1962 with 6,585 babies.
How do you pronounce Barry?: Barry is pronounced BA-ree (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Barry?: Barry is also written as Barrie, Bari.

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.