Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 27:16

"And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas." — Matthew 27:16 (ASV)

A notable prisoner named Barabbas — There is considerable, though not decisive, evidence for the reading that gives “Jesus Barabbas” as the prisoner's name. The name Barabbas (meaning “son of Abbas” or “son of a father”) was a patronymic, like Bartimaeus and Bartholomew. It would be natural for the man who bore it to have another, more personal name.

We can easily understand two things. First, the commonness of the name Jesus might have led to him being known to his comrades and the crowd primarily as Barabbas. Second, the reverence people later felt for the Name which is above every name would have led them to erase, if possible, the evidence that it had once been borne by a robber chief.

John tells us that Barabbas was a robber (John 18:40). Luke and Mark add that he had taken a prominent part in an urban insurrection, during which he and his fellow insurgents had committed murder (Luke 23:19; Mark 15:7). The last recorded tumult of this kind was connected with Pilate’s appropriation of the Corban, as mentioned in the note on Matthew 27:2. It is probable that this was the insurrection in which Barabbas participated. This supposition has the merit of explaining how he became a favorite hero of both the priests and the people.

Since the term "Abba" (meaning "father") was a customary term of honor applied to a Rabbi (Matthew 23:9), it is possible that the nickname by which he was popularly known commemorated a fact in his family history of which he could be proud. The cry, Jesus, the Rabbi’s son, found more favor than, Jesus the Nazarene.