Abraham vs Barnabas
Abraham and Barnabascompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Abraham was ranked #627 and Barnabas #1613 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2010, Abraham was ranked #720 and Barnabas #720 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Abraham and Barnabas over time
Abraham and Barnabas appear together in 1 published list, across 30 years of shared records. Abraham held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Barnabas in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Barnabas reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Abraham in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Longest-running competitions
Abraham and Barnabas were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #627 and #1613.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025
Abraham held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Barnabas in 0.
Highest recorded here: Abraham #374 in 2004, Barnabas #1000 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Abraham #627, Barnabas #1613.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Abraham | Barnabas |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #485 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #1613 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Abraham and Barnabas both have 3 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Abraham
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #379 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1974–2024
Highest recorded position: #313 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2002 (recorded 1974–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #627 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Barnabas
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1235 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1613 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys