Greek form of an Aramaic name. In Acts in the New Testament the byname Barnabas was given to a man named Joseph, a companion of Paul on his missionary journeys. The original Aramaic is unattested, but it may be from בּר נביא (bar naviya') meaning "son of the prophet", though in Acts 4:36 it is claimed that the name means "son of encouragement". As an English name, it came into occasional use after the 12th century.