BARROW

The surname Barrow has its roots in England, belonging to the broader family of surnames that are derived from English place names or geographical features. The earliest documentary evidence for the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, where the name appears as Adam de Barewe in the year 1192, during the reign of King Richard I, known as The Lionheart.

In medieval England, surnames were often formed from topographical or locational features. Barrow may have originated as a topographic name for a person who lived near a hill or burial mound; this derivation is linked to the Old English word beorg, meaning “hill” or “barrow.”

Alternatively, the name may have been adopted by someone who resided near a grove or wood. The Old English word bearo (or bearu) means “grove” or “wood,” and several settlements in England bear the name Barrow. These places are found in counties including Cheshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Shropshire, Suffolk, and Somerset. A person originating from any of these localities could have been identified by the locational name corresponding to the place, hence the surname’s habitational use.

Another variant is the form Barrowe, which is sometimes cited as a cognate. This version is derived from the Old English word bearo meaning “boar,” and it would have served as a nickname for an individual who displayed boar-like qualities, such as fierceness or a stocky build.

In addition, the place called Barrow in Furness, Cumberland, offers a different linguistic origin. This name stems from the Celtic word barro, signifying a “promontory.” Consequently, for inhabitants of this region, the surname Barrow would have denoted a “man of the promontory.”

The use of the surname can be traced back to the late twelfth century, with recorded references occurring in legal and parish documents throughout the following centuries. One notable example is the marriage of Thomas Barrowe to Elizabeth Letter on 25 May 1554 at St. Mary Magdalene in Bermondsey, London. Another record mentions the christening of Nicholas Barrow at St. Margaret’s in Westminster, London, in October 1565.

A significant early instance of the surname’s geographical spread is the emigration of Anne Barrow, aged which record states twenty-one years, aboard the vessel W. Ward from Liverpool in May 1847. Her destination was New York, illustrating the movement and diaspora of families bearing this English name beyond the British Isles.

The heraldic tradition associated with the Barrow name describes the most commonly recognised coat of arms as follows: the field is argent (silver), bearing three torteaux (red roundels), each charged with a fleur-de-lis or (gold). On the chief azure (blue) a bugle-horn in gold is placed between two pheons of the field. This design appears in several reputable heraldic references and is regarded as a clear visual representation of the family’s heritage.

Contemporary bearers of the surname Barrow maintain a distinct link to their Anglo-Saxon roots, as the name continues to be associated with the historic linguistic elements of the English language and the geographic diversity of the country.

Typical given names associated with the Barrow surname

Male

• Andrew
• Christopher
• David
• James
• John
• Mark
• Michael
• Paul
• Robert
• Stephen

Female

• Christine
• Elizabeth
• Emma
• Helen
• Julie
• Margaret
• Mary
• Nicola
• Patricia
• Sarah
• Susan

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

How to communicate the surname Barrow in...

Braille

⠃⠁⠗⠗⠕⠺

Morse

-....-.-..-.---.--

Semaphore

Surname type: Location or geographical feature

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

Famous people named Barrow

• Geoff Barrow - Musician, instrumentalist for the band Portishead
• John D. Barrow - Scientist
• Graham Barrow - Football player and manager
• Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet - Statesman (1764 to 1848)
• Sarah Barrow - Diver
• G. W. S. Barrow - Historian and academic (1924 to 2013)
• Steve Barrow - Journalist
• Dominic Barrow - Rugby union player
• Scott Barrow - Football player
• Lee Barrow - Football player
• Tony Barrow - Rugby league player who played for Swinton Lions (1971 to 2017)
• William Rushton Black was a coachbuilder born in Barrow-in-Furness, Baron Black - Businessman (1893 to 1984)
• Rosemary Barrow - Art historian (1968 to 2016)
• Harold Percy Waller Barrow - (1876 to 1957)
• Arthur Barrow - Cricketer (1897 to 1943)
• Christopher Barrow - Cricketer
• Edmund Barrow - Army general (1852 to 1934)
• Danny Barrow - Football player

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.

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