Bart

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Bart

Pronounced BART /ˈbɑrt/High

Meaning: Bart is the short form of Bartholomew, from Aramaic bar-Talmai, 'son of Talmai' (Talmai meaning 'furrows'), the name of one of the twelve apostles. Bart carries that patronymic meaning in a single blunt beat.Medium

In 30 seconds: Bart is Bartholomew cut short (said 'BART'), from Aramaic for 'son of Talmai.' Sturdy and brief.

💕 Browse more names

Origin MediumAramaic

MeaningBart is the short form of Bartholomew, from Aramaic bar-Talmai, 'son of Talmai' (Talmai meaning 'furrows'), the name of one of the twelve apostles. Bart carries that patronymic meaning in a single blunt beat.

U.S. rank (2023)#12464 ↘ Falling

2023 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1959

Total births (all-time)≈ 16,357

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Bart is the short form of Bartholomew, an apostle's name meaning 'son of Talmai' (Aramaic). It rode the mid-century taste for blunt one-syllable boys' names, peaking in 1959 at around a thousand a year. Bart Starr and, later, Bart Simpson kept it in the air, but its statistical crest is postwar.

A man named Bart at that 1959 peak is now in his late sixties. The name is compact, friendly, and unfussy — the kind of short form parents once used on its own. It hasn't revived, and its cartoon association is a double edge namers should weigh; the full Bartholomew remains a rich, underused alternative.

Did you know? Bart peaked in 1959, three decades before The Simpsons — so the name's real high point belongs to the Baby Boom, not to Springfield's most famous fourth-grader.

Overall data confidence 68%

References — Bart — Short form of Bartholomew (Aramaic bar-Talmai); 1959 peak

Variations

BartholomewBartonBarrett

Nicknames

BartyBart

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Bart…

Bartholomew— the full parent name Bart shortens

Burt— a like blunt one-beat mid-century name

Brett— a same-era short boy's name

Chad— a like punchy postwar pick

Explore names like Bart

By themeshort nickname-name aramaic 1950s

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Bart mean?

Bart is the short form of Bartholomew, from Aramaic bar-Talmai, 'son of Talmai.'

How do you pronounce Bart?

It's said BART /ˈbɑrt/ — one syllable.

Is Bart a boy or girl name?

Bart is used as a boy's name, as the short form of Bartholomew.

How popular is Bart?

Bart peaked in the late fifties, long before its famous cartoon namesake, and has been uncommon since.