Etymology

From barack, "blessing" < < < .

Usage notes

The name Barack , means "he who is blessed" or simply "blessed". A more common form in most Arabic-speaking countries is the past passive participle "Mubarak" .

The usage of the root B-R-K as a male name meaning "blessing" occurs in the Ancient Semitic Sabean (barqac), in Palmyrene (baraq), and in Punic (Barcas, as surname of Hamilcar), and as a Divine name in Assyrian Ramman-Birqu and Gibil-Birqu , and personal Biblical name Barukh or Baruch (which is also the modern Hebrew cognate; see Book of Baruch for an instance of the name). "Barack" and "Baruch" are similar in meaning to "Benedict" (from Latin Benedictus).

• Baraka, also barakah, in Islam and Arab-influenced languages, meaning spiritual wisdom and blessing transmitted from God; or in a Sufi context, "breath of life."
• Other names of Semitic origin sound similar to "Barack" but are etymologically unrelated. The Hebrew name Barak and the Arabic name Barq are both derived from the separate Semitic root consonants (b-r-q). Both names signify "lightning." In the biblical Book of Judges, Barak son of Abinoam of Kedesh was the commander of the army of Deborah. In modern Israel the name "Barak" occurs as a male given name and as a surname (e.g. Ehud Barak). In Arabic, the word Buraq comes from the same b-r-q root.