Barack (name)

Barack, also spelled Barak or Baraq, is a given name of Arabic origin. From the Semitic root B-R-K, it means "blessed" and is most commonly used in its feminine form Baraka(h).

The Semitic root B-R-K has the original meaning of "to kneel down", with a secondary meaning "to bless".

In Islamic mysticism, Barakah (بركة)  is a concept  of spiritual presence or revelation. The cognate Hebrew term is Berakhah (בְּרָכָה) "benediction, blessing" which is related to the Biblical Hebrew given name Baruch. It can also be derived from the root B-R-Q (ב-ר-ק; ب-ر-ق), meaning "lightning".

The Arabic masculine given name Mubarak is the Arabic stem III   passive participle,  mubārak  (مبارك), meaning "blessed (one)".

The name is cognate with the Amharic given name ብሩክ ("Biruk").

People with the given name

 * Barack Adama (born 1985), a French rapper
 * Barack Obama (born 1961), former US president
 * Barack Obama Sr. (1936–1982), father of Barack Obama and Kenyan economist

People with the surname

 * Ghiyas-ud-din Baraq (1266–1271), a Khan of the Chagatai Khanate
 * Moisés Barack (1943–2024), a Peruvian footballer
 * Tom Barrack (born 1947), American private equity real estate investor and chairman of Donald Trumps Inaugural Committee

Fictional characters

 * The protagonist of Barack the Barbarian, a comic book series