Barney is a friendly and cheerful name that is commonly associated with the purple dinosaur character from the children's television show. The name became popular in the United States during the 19th century, and has been used as a first name ever since. It is also a surname in some cases.
The name Barney means "son of consolation", "bearer of good news", or "brave as a bear". It is also a diminutive form of the name Barnabas, which means "son of encouragement". Diminutive of Barnabas, Bernard or Barnaby. The name Barney is used as a first name for boys. It is less commonly used as a surname.
Originally the pet form of Barnabas or Barnaby, Barney is now a name in its own right.