Barrera
A Spanish surname most likely from a word for a barrier, fence, or boundary.
The #550 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,062 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Barrera is a Spanish word meaning a barrier, fence, or obstruction, and it is the most likely source of the surname. The word is related to Spanish barra, "bar" or "rod," ultimately from Latin barra, a bar or barrier. In surname use, it may have begun as a topographic name for someone who lived by a barrier, enclosure, or boundary, or as a habitational name from a place so called.
History
The surname is well established in Spanish-speaking regions and is especially common in Spain and the Hispanic world. Historical surname lists also show Barrera alongside related forms such as Barra, Barreda, and Barreras, reflecting the same broad naming family based on barrier-like features. In some cases it may be tied to specific local place names rather than a single universal origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Spanish word barrera can mean a fence, a bulwark, or even the wooden enclosure around a bullring.
From the historical record
“Barras Plural de Barra. Barraza Aumentativo de Barra, Barreda. Barrera, Barrena. Instrumento de hierro de varios gruesos i ta- mafños, con una manija de palo atravesada arriba. Barra de hierro con dos estremos cortantes.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos