BARR
Origin of the surname Barr is a matter of considerable historical interest. The name is found throughout the British Isles, particularly in Scotland, and the earliest surviving evidence places a Richard de Barra in the Domesday Book of 1086 in Somerset. This earlier form indicates that the name may derive from the Old English bearu or the Old Norse barri, both meaning “grove’’ or “woodland”. Consequently Barr is best understood as a locational surname, designating an original bearer who lived near or within a forested area.
In Scotland the surname is also associated with the Gaelic word barr, meaning height or hill, and is linked to two place‑names in Ayrshire and Renfrewshire that carry this meaning. The name appears in medieval Scottish records – for example Albyn de Barr, baillie of Ayr, is recorded in 1340 – and the locational element is reinforced by the presence of the surname in settlements such as Great Barr in the West Midlands, where the term derives from the same Celtic root. The Barr name has a Norman dimension as well, as suggested by places in France named Barr‑en‑Ouche and Barr‑de‑Semilly, whose names are derived from the Old French barre meaning barrier or gateway. Middle English usage of barre in the same sense further supports a topographical interpretation for some bearers of the name.
Early documentary occurrences of the surname include Hugo Barr referenced in the Danelaw documents concerning Lancaster in 1155, and William de Barre in the Assize Rolls of Stafford in 1199. By the eighteenth century, marriages such as that of Anne Barr to John Bickerton on 21 October 1731 at Christchurch, Greyfriars, Newgate in London, demonstrate the name’s penetration into the broader English‑speaking milieu. Over the centuries the surname Barr has remained relatively common in Scotland and has also spread to other English‑speaking countries, preserving a heritage that reflects both Celtic and Germanic linguistic roots.
Typical given names associated with the Barr surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Robert
- Stephen
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Jane
- Jean
- Karen
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Baar
- Baehr
- Baer
- Bahr
- Bahra
- Bahre
- Bahri
- Bahru
- Bahry
- Bair
- Baira
- Baire
- Baires
- Bairi
- Bairie
- Bairo
- Bairro
- Bairs
- Bairu
- Bairy
- Bar
- Bara
- Barah
- Barai
- Baray
- Barb
- Bare
- Barea
- Bareau
- Baree
- Barei
- Bares
- Barey
- Barez
- Bargh
- Barh
- Bari
- Barie
- Baro
- Baroo
- Barou
- Barow
- Barra
- Barrah
- Barras
- Barrau
- Barray
- Barrd
- Barre
- Barrea
- Barreau
- Barree
- Barreh
- Barres
- Barrey
- Barri
- Barria
- Barrie
- Barries
- Barrio
- Barris
- Barrn
- Barro
- Barros
- Barrou
- Barrow
- Barrows
- Barrs
- Barrtt
- Barrus
- Barry
- Barrys
- Bars
- Baru
- Bary
- Barye
- Barz
- Bau
- Baur
- Baura
- Baury
- Baw
- Bayrs
- Bear
- Beara
- Beare
- Bearo
- Bearry
- Bears
- Beer
- Beere
- Behr
- Behre
- Beir
- Beire
- Beor
- Ber
- Bere
- Berr
- Berra
- Berre
- Berres
- Berri
- Berrie
- Berro
- Berry
- Beure
- Biar
- Bier
- Bior
- Bir
- Bire
- Birr
- Birre
- Birri
- Birrie
- Birro
- Birrs
- Birru
- Boar
- Boare
- Boari
- Boaro
- Boor
- Bor
- Bore
- Boree
- Borr
- Borre
- Borrie
- Bour
- Boure
- Bourre
- Brar
- Broe
- Bur
- Bure
- Burr
- Burra
- Burre
- Burree
- Burres
- Burri
- Burrie
- Burro
- Burrs
- Burry
- Byer
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Barr in...
Braille
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Morse
-....-.-..-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 14,654 people named Barr in the UK. That makes it the 606th most common surname in Britain. Around 225 in a million people in Britain are named Barr.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Barr
- Roseanne Barr - American actress, comedienne, writer, producer and director
- William Barr - 77th and 85th United States Attorney General
- James Barr - Historian
- James Barr - Bible scholar (1924 to 2006)
- Darren Barr - Scottish football player
- Patrick Barr - Actor (1908 to 1985)
- Damian Barr - Journalist
- Michelle Barr - Scottish football player
- Felicity Barr - Journalist
- Bobby Barr - Scottish professional football player
- Craig Barr - Scottish football player
- Billy Barr - Football player, coach, manager
- Ken Barr - Scottish artist (1933 to 2016)
- Hugh Barr - Northern Irish football player
- James Barr - Radio presenter
- Robert Barr - Scottish-Canadian novelist (1849 to 1912)
- Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr - Novelist (1831 to 1919)
- Charlie Barr - American yacht racer (1864 to 1911)
- Emily Barr - Writer
- Sammy Barr - Scottish trade unionist (1931 to 2012)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.