Josette,
I can’t think of anyone with the given name of Barnabas. Although, I’ve heard of boys given such distinctive names as “Zander,” “Ashton,” “Colton” and “Jasper.” (Didn’t those boys’ parents ever hear the late, great Johnny Cash’s song, “A Boy Named Sue”?)
I think there is one story that either Dan Curtis or DS producer Robert Costello noticed an old tombstone in NYC with the name of Barnabas, hence the name for our own beloved Barnabas Collins.
When I used to take the E-train up from the World Trade Center to Lexington and 53rd Street, I remember there was a station on the upper East side, where you could transfer to a train taking you to St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. I always wondered if that hospital was the inspiration for Barnabas’ unique moniker?
Bob