The first name Bartholomew
A boy’s name from Aramaic meaning “son of talmai”, “son of ptolemy”, “son”.
Pronounced /bɑɹˈθɑləmju/ 4 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Aramaic origin
Bartholomew means “son of talmai”, “son of ptolemy”, “son” in Aramaic.
From Latin Bartholomaeus, from Ancient Greek Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaîos), from Aramaic בר תלמי (bar tolmai, “son of Talmai; son of Ptolemy”), from בר (bar, “son”) and תלמי (tolmai, “Talmai; Ptolemy”). It has long been unclear whether the Apostle's father was named after the biblical Talmai, king of Geshur, or one of the Greek Ptolemies, as the two originally unrelated names were conflated in Jewish Aramaic. The ending -ew underwent a similar evolution to that seen in Hebrew (ultimately from Latin Hebraeus) and Jew (from Latin Iudaeus, with loss of the -ud-). The name's pronunciation was changed to match the spelling; contrast French Barthélemy from the same source.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 5 boys were named Bartholomew, making it the 3,684th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 1997, with 13 births (#1,052).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Bartholomew with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Bartholomew at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 39 boys born in the United States were named Bartholomew, the 3,093rd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1969, when 75 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Bartholomew in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Bartholomew
7 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Bartholomew the ApostleChristian apostle and martyr, -100–100
- Bartholomew Anglicus13th-century scholastic scholar, author of the compendium De proprietatibus rerum, 1203–1272
- Bartholomew GosnoldEnglish barrister, explorer, and privateer (1571–1607)
- Bartholomew SharpEnglish buccaneer, 1650–1702
- Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron BadlesmereEnglish nobleman, 1275–1322
- I. BartholomeosEcumenist ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991
- Bart BakerAmerican entertainer and Internet personality, born 1986
Questions
- What does the name Bartholomew mean?
- Bartholomew means “son of talmai”, “son of ptolemy”, “son” in Aramaic.
- What is the origin of the name Bartholomew?
- From Latin Bartholomaeus, from Ancient Greek Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaîos), from Aramaic בר תלמי (bar tolmai, “son of Talmai; son of Ptolemy”), from בר (bar, “son”) and תלמי (tolmai, “Talmai; Ptolemy”). It has long been unclear whether the Apostle's father was named after the biblical Talmai, king…
- How popular is the name Bartholomew?
- In 2025, 5 boys born in England and Wales were named Bartholomew, ranking 3,684th. Its peak was 1997, with 13 births.
- What are nicknames for Bartholomew?
- Common nicknames for Bartholomew include Barry, Bart, Bartlett, Batt, Bate, Barty.
- Is Bartholomew a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 4,271 US babies named Bartholomew since 1880 were boys.
- When was Bartholomew most popular?
- 1969 in the United States, when 75 babies were named Bartholomew, its highest rank at 880th.
- How do you pronounce Bartholomew?
- Bartholomew is /bɑɹˈθɑləmju/, 4 syllables.
- Is Bartholomew also a surname?
- Yes. Bartholomew is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.