Barry Greenberg isn’t sure why his parents chose his first name, but another option was briefly under consideration.
“My Hebrew name is Chaim Yisrael,” said Greenberg, 78. “When I was born, the rabbi wanted to name me Herman Irving. And my mother said, ‘There is no way.’ I don’t know where she came up with the name Barry. She may have seen it in a newspaper.”
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Greenberg, who is a member of United Hebrew Congregation, is among the many Baby Boomers named Barry, which rose in popularity in the United States in the 1940s. Being named Barry also gained Greenberg entrée into an exclusive gathering in Olivette on Sunday, Aug. 17.
He was invited to a “Barry Brunch” to celebrate all things Barry.
Twelve Jewish St. Louis Barrys got together to toast their common bond at the home of Barry Krell, who got the idea from a COVID-19 era party hosted by the late Stan Towerman. In 2021, after he realized many of his friends and colleagues were named Harvey, Towerman created a “Harvey Party.”
“Even though he had retired, some of Stan’s clients were still calling, and several of them were Harveys,” said Arlene Goodman, Towerman’s partner. “I was keeping track, and I told him, ‘This Harvey called, and that Harvey called.’ He once met a Harvey through the Honor Flight. Stan said to me, ‘Where did all these Harveys come from—we have to do something about this!’”
Goodman, who describes Towerman as a “man of action,” said he immediately set out to create a Harvey Party. It was a success, with nine Harveys attending. Everyone had a Harvey name tag and a Harvey place card. At Towerman’s 2022 funeral, his son Michael mentioned the Harvey Party as one of his father’s big ideas. That piqued Barry Krell’s interest. He learned he was one of 14 men named Barry who belong to UH. Krell is a member of a poker group with four Barrys (and two Steves).
“It was a pretty popular name in the post-World War II era,” said Krell, 79. “I looked at yearbooks from U. City, Clayton and Ladue from 1960 to 1970 and found a lot of Barrys that way.”
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After locating more than 50 St. Louis area Barrys, Krell sent out an invitation. It included a disclaimer, suggesting anyone who was hesitant to attend could contact Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg at UH who would verify that Krell wasn’t a crackpot.
The Barrys who showed up were curious and unafraid they were walking into a time-share sales scheme or cult. During the Barry Brunch, each offered a tidbit or two about their Barry lives. One of the Barrys was originally going to be Larry, but that name was taken by a cousin. Barry Giller once met both David Ben Gurion and Golda Meir during a trip to Israel. Barry Wallis was the Viking, the Parkway North High School mascot.
“My college roommate started telling everyone that Barry was short for Bartholomew, having absolutely no basis for that whatsoever,” said Barry Brimer, 51, a member of UH.
The name Barry is no longer quite as popular among newborns, with Liam, Noah and Oliver currently taking the top three spots, according to the Social Security Administration. Don’t tell that to the Barry Brunch attendees—or Barry Manilow, Barry Bonds and Barry Gibb.
