Surname Barbour - Meaning and Origin

Unveiling the Barbour Lineage: An Unexpected Saga Through the iGENEA DNA Test

Discovering my deep Celtic, Viking, and Jewish lineage through the iGENEA DNA test changed my understanding of my ancestral family, the Barbours. The knowledge has allowed me to feel more connected to previously obscured aspects of my identity.

Q. Barbour

Barbour: What does the surname Barbour mean?

The last name Barbour is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is derived from an Old French and Middle English occupational surname for a barber. The term "barber" comes from the Latin word "barba" which means beard. In the medieval period, apart from cutting hair and shaving beards, barbers also performed certain surgical operations, hence the term "barber-surgeon". The surname Barbour was first found in counties of Northumberland and Cumberland, England. Therefore, the last name Barbour generally signifies a person who worked as a barber or barber-surgeon in the old times.

Barbour: Where does the name Barbour come from?

The last name "Barbour" is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "barbier" which means barber. The term was used for a person who worked as a barber, a traditional occupation for those who cut hair and performed medical tasks like surgery and bloodletting. The surname was first found in Norfolk, England, where they held a family seat from ancient times, possibly well before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Over time, the name spread to other parts of the UK, and many Barbours emigrated to America due to political upheaval and economic hardship. They settled initially in Virginia and the Carolinas in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, the largest concentrations of people with the last name Barbour can be found in the United States, particularly in the South, as well as England, Scotland, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The name also has a notable presence in Northern Ireland due to historic ties to Scotland. There’s been some famous Barbours, including Pat Barbour, a Scottish soccer player, and Haley Barbour, the former Governor of Mississippi.

Variations of the surname Barbour

The surname Barbour has a few different variants and spellings that originate from the same roots. These include: Barber, Barbor, Barba, Barbier, Barbieri, Barbeau, Barboni, and Barby.

In some cases, the surname has been Anglicized, leading to variations like Barberry, Barberree, and Barbaresi. In other regions, local dialects and languages prompted changes in spellings such as Barbeiro in Portugal and De Barbier in Belgium.

Some of these names also appear as double-barreled surnames, such as Del Barbeau in France or Di Barbieri in Italy.

The spelling variations of a surname are often traced back to a common root and were typically dependent on the phonetic spelling by officials recording them in tax registries in the 13-15th centuries. As such, the spellings were often inconsistent, a practice that only began to stabilize with the advent of mass literacy and standardized education.

The surnames derive from the occupational name for a barber, from Old French "barbier", from "barbe", meaning beard, introduced by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066.

It should be noted that these different surnames, although similar and originating from the same root, have since developed their own unique histories and distributions.

Famous people with the name Barbour

• Haley Barbour: An American politician, lobbyist, author, and member of the Republican Party who served as the 62nd Governor of Mississippi.
• Thomas Barbour: A notable herpetologist and conservationist famous for his study on reptiles and amphibians.
• Brigadier Sir Derek Barbour: An Australian military personnel who was one of the commanding officers during the Indonesian confrontation.
• Errol Barbour: A former Jamaican cricketer who played in one Test in 1930.
• Thomas Barbour: Former American football halfback who played for Boston College and in the National Football League.
• Kate Barbour: An Australian women's cricket player.
• Marsha Barbour: Wife of Haley Barbour and a renowned philanthropist.
• Edwin Barbour: Famous aeronautical engineer and inventor.
• James Barbour: A nineteenth-century American planters and politicians. He was a U.S. Senator from Virginia and Secretary of War.
• Stanley Barbour: A 20th century British diplomat, served as an ambassador to Israel.
• Julian Barbour: A British physicist with significant contributions to the field of quantum gravity and the history of science.
• Keith Barbour: An American singer-songwriter, popular during the 1960s and 70s.
• Patricia Barbour: A renowned American illustrator.
• Michael Barbour: A notable figure in the field of e-learning.
• Florian Barbière: A French rapper and songwriter known as Barbour.

Other surnames

Barbor