Bartleby

English surname, probably related to Bartholomew

"son of the furrow"

Bartleby Origin and Meaning

The name Bartleby is a boy's name meaning "son of the furrow".

Bartleby (that's his last name) the Scrivener is a famous Herman Melville character whose surprisingly powerful refrain was, "I would prefer not to." Or, in the immortal words of any two-year-old: No.

Putting that aside, Bartleby is a unique baby name that could make a lively literary alternative to Barnaby.

Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street was made into movies three times, the latest starring Christian Glover. In the 1999 film "Dogma," Bartleby is a fallen angel played by Ben Affleck.

Bartleby Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1949 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Bartleby

• 1949 Nameberry 2025

20 Names Similar to Bartleby

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Bartleby.

• Chaucer
• Diggory
• Gillespie
• Ingram
• Benoit
• Fitzroy
• Thackeray
• Geordie
• Tudor
• Aberdeen
• Folke
• Faulkner
• Osgood
• Didier
• Osmond
• Ingo
• Pasha
• Ellsworth
• Bayard
• Rupin

The name Bartleby in Pop Culture

• "Bartleby the Scrivener" (1856), Melville's short story about a scrivener, or law,copyist. The narrator, his employer, says he is "the strangest I ever saw, or heard of"
• Bartleby Gaines Justin Long's character in "Accepted"