Given name & surname
Barak
“of the lightning flash”
Barak is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “of the lightning flash.”
Original Hebrewברק
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “of the lightning flash.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From Hebrew בָּרָק (“lightning”); its root is Hebrew ב־ר־ק.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1953. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Barak appears in Judges 4:6, Hebrews 11:32.
- Judges 4:6
- Hebrews 11:32
From biblical name research
Barak through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 929
- 929 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 29 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #9,015 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- 0%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,015 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was virtually unchanged in 2021–2025 compared with 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 29 in 2006. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 936 as a first name in 2020; 1,068 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Barak’s family of names
In German usage, Barak has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Barac. Barak has a related form in Barac. In Serbo-Croatian usage, Barak has a conventional equivalent in the English form Barack.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Barak has relatives in 15 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
13 related names in 15 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 39
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Bennettequivalent
- Benedictequivalent
- Benequivalent
- Benitoequivalent
- Bennetequivalent
- Baruchequivalent
- Bentoequivalent
- Benedettoequivalent
Show 31 moreShow fewer
- Benoitequivalent
- Bennoequivalent
- Benedictoequivalent
- Benoequivalent
- Bengtequivalent
- Benedekequivalent
- Benzequivalent
- Benediktequivalent
- Benedictusequivalent
- Beneadequivalent
- Bentequivalent
- Benedyktequivalent
- Beneditoequivalent
- Bénédictequivalent
- Bendixequivalent
- Benoîtequivalent
- Bendikequivalent
- Bendichtequivalent
- Benonequivalent
- Benediktoequivalent
- Binidittuequivalent
- ВаракUkrainian, Serbian
- БаракUkrainian
- BarákCzech
- BárakCzech
- VarakSerbo-Croatian
- BaraquePortuguese
- BarakasLithuanian
- バラクJapanese
- BaraqItalian, French
- ΒαράκGreek
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Barak
- Barak YitzhakiIsraeli footballerborn 1984
- Barak SopéPrime Minister of Vanuatuborn 1955
- Barak BakharIsraeli association football manager and former playerborn 1979
- Barak RavidIsraeli journalist and broadcaster (born 1980)
- Barak HiramIsraeli military officerborn 1979
- Barak Braunshtainassociation football playerborn 1999
- Barak LeviIsraeli footballerborn 1993
- Barak BadashIsraeli footballerborn 1982
- Barak PelegIsraeli basketball coachborn 1972
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Barak, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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