Fun Facts About the Name Barak
- 929 babies named Barak: U.S. records list 929 babies given the name Barak from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Barak Mean?
Barak is a masculine name taken from the Hebrew word baraq (בָּרָק), which means "lightning." It comes from the Semitic root b-r-q, referring to lightning or a flash, and the same root lies behind the Arabic barq (بَرْق), also "lightning." In the Hebrew Bible the name belongs to Barak son of Abinoam, the military leader who fought alongside the prophet Deborah.
The closely spelled Barack is a variant used in East Africa and elsewhere. It is sometimes explained through the same "lightning" root, and sometimes through the Arabic baraka, "blessing." These two explanations are often not clearly separated, so the exact derivation of that spelling is uncertain.
Barak Name History & Origins
Barak appears in the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. He is named as the son of Abinoam, from Kedesh in the territory of Naphtali. The prophet Deborah summoned him to gather ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun on Mount Tabor and attack the army of the Canaanite commander Sisera. Barak agreed to go only if Deborah went with him. The Israelites broke Sisera's chariot force, and Sisera himself was killed by Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. The victory is celebrated in the Song of Deborah (Judges 5), a poem often counted among the oldest passages in the Hebrew Bible. Barak is later listed among the examples of faith in the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews (11:32).
The name is used as a given name in Jewish communities, and a form of it also appears in Arabic-speaking regions, where it is connected with the word for lightning. The spelling Barack is a modern variant; it is not a separate name with its own independent origin, though its exact derivation is debated as noted above.
How Popular is the Name Barak?
Barak has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2006. Its best rank was #2,221 in 1970.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,015 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #5,247 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #8,331 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #6,184 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #7,659 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #7,577 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #5,838 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #6,749 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #6,089 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #8,931 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #9,685 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #8,212 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #9,753 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #8,842 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #7,645 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #6,129 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #5,801 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #4,824 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2006 | #3,529 | 29 | 0.0014% |
| 2005 | #3,460 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 2004 | #4,620 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #3,844 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #4,524 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #5,164 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #3,930 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1999 | #3,594 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1998 | #3,499 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1997 | #3,268 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1996 | #3,029 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1995 | #3,713 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1994 | #2,690 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1993 | #3,151 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1992 | #3,116 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1991 | #2,835 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 1990 | #3,478 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1989 | #2,997 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #4,179 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #5,008 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #2,693 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1985 | #2,953 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1984 | #3,483 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1983 | #3,646 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #3,123 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1981 | #2,347 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1980 | #2,541 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1979 | #4,101 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #2,944 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1977 | #2,799 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1976 | #2,426 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1975 | #2,768 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1974 | #2,814 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1973 | #3,032 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1972 | #2,673 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1971 | #2,830 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1970 | #2,221 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1969 | #2,426 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1968 | #3,124 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #2,483 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1966 | #2,635 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1965 | #3,263 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #3,329 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #3,372 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #3,990 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1953 | #3,847 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Barak Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Barak's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Barak's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.