Barney - Name Meaning and Origin

The boy's name Barney \b(a)-rney, bar-ney\ is pronounced BAR-nee. It is of English origin. Pet form of Barnabas and Barnaby. Modern use likely refers to the famous large purple dinosaur.

Barney has 2 variant forms: Barnie and Barny.

For more information, see also related names Barnett and Bernard.

Baby names that sound like Barney are Birney and Burney.

Barney is a common male first name and a very popular surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the boy's name Barney. Click here to compare Barney with related baby names.