Bartholomew
Masculine · “son of Talmai”
Bartholomew is not a name but a description: bar Talmai, son of Talmai. The gospels list him among the twelve and tell us almost nothing else, which means we know one apostle only by whose son he was.
How old is the name Bartholomew?
Bartholomew was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Bartholomew alive today was born around 1967, making them about 58 years old. About 2,800 people named Bartholomew are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Bartholomew most popular?
Bartholomew peaked in 1885, reaching #480 nationally. Today it ranks #3089, 2,609 places below that high. See the whole 1885 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From bar Talmai to Bartholomew
The story of Bartholomew
Bartholomew appears only in the lists of the twelve, with no story attached, and since the fourth century he has commonly been identified with Nathanael in John's gospel — the one who asks whether anything good can come out of Nazareth. Tradition sends him to Armenia and gives him a famously gruesome martyrdom, which is why he is the patron of tanners. The name was common across medieval Europe and shortened everywhere: Bart, Bartle, Bat, Tolomeo, Bartolo.
Meaningscholars disagree
son of Talmai
Aramaic bar means son, and Talmai is the father's name — so the whole is a patronymic rather than a personal name. Talmai's own meaning is argued; a connection to a word for furrows, giving a ploughman, is often proposed and is not secure. A Talmai appears in the Hebrew Bible as a king of Geshur. So the construction is certain and the name inside it is not.
How the name formed
- bar Talmai
- Bartholomaios
- Bartholomew
Related forms: Bartolomeo · Bartolomé · Varfolomey · Bartolomeu
Pronouncing Bartholomew
bar-THOL-uh-myoo
Four syllables with the stress on the second. The th is said as in think in English and as a plain t in every Romance language that has the name.
Nicknames for Bartholomew
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 197664 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #480reached in 1885
- Change vs 2022
- +34.5%39 in 2025, from 29
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Bartholomew in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Bartolomeo in Italian — same name
- Bartolomé in Spanish — same name
- Varfolomey in Russian — same name
- Bartolomeu in Portuguese — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Ohio, California.
Bartholomews among us
people named Bartholomew are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 43,797 born in 2025 was named Bartholomew
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Bartholomew sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Bartholomew is headed
Bartholomew should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Bartholomew beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Bartholomew in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Bart is a ready and very well-established short form, which a four-syllable name needs.
- A documented apostolic name with a very long record across every Christian language.
- Four syllables give it real formality, with an easy everyday form underneath.
- Four syllables is long and the name will almost always be shortened to Bart.
- A very widely known cartoon character carries the short form, which arrives with it.
- Its meaning is a patronymic, so the child is named for somebody else's father.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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Bartholomew
Masculine · #3089 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Bartholomews are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,800 people named Bartholomew are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Bartholomew in 2025?
- Bartholomew ranks #3089 among US boy names in 2025, with 39 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Bartholomew?
- About 1 in every 43,797 US boys born in 2025 was named Bartholomew — 39 in all.
- Will my child share the name Bartholomew with classmates?
- Bartholomew will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Bartholomew
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Aadi#3089 · Wynston#3089 · Braelyn#3089 · Leopoldo#3089 · Zaedyn#3089 · Saxon#3089 · Rehan#3089 · Cree#3089
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Bartholomew? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Bartholomew and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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