'Barnabas' originates from Aramaic, specifically the phrase 'Bar-Nabba', where 'Bar' meant 'son' and 'Nabba' meant 'encouragement' or 'consolation'.

'Barnabas' changed from the Aramaic phrase 'Bar-Nabba' into the Greek 'Βαρναβᾶς' (Barnabas), passed into Latin as 'Barnabas', and eventually became the modern English name 'Barnabas'.

Initially it meant 'son of encouragement' or 'son of consolation', but over time it evolved into its current use as a personal name, notably the biblical figure 'Barnabas'.