Barak is of Hebrew origin and means "lightning" or "thunderbolt". It is a name from the Bible, given to King Barak of Israel who played a crucial role in defeating Sisera, commander of the Canaanite army. The name has also been popularized by former U.S. President Barack Obama, whose full name is Barack Hussein Obama II.
The name Barak experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the decades. The peak years were around the late 1980s to early 1990s, with a high of 27 births in 1994 and 23 in 1991. However, it dropped significantly after 2000, reaching as low as 7 births in 2013. The total number of births with the name Barak over this period was 903.