Barnabas

Barnabas (bahr-nuh-bis) is a masculine name that is used in the German, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, and Biblical Greek languages.

Meaning and History
Barnabas is a Greek form of an Aramaic name. The original Aramaic is unattested, but it may be from bar naviya meaning "son of the prophet", though in Acts 4:36, it is claimed that the name means "son of encouragement".

In Acts in the New Testament, the byname Barnabas was given to a man named Joseph, a companion of Paul on his missionary journeys.

As an English name, it came into occasional use after the 12th century.

Related Names
Variants: Barnaby

Diminutives: Barney