Barrow
A surname usually from a place-name or a spot near a barrow, an old burial mound or low hill.
The #2,159 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,377 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Barrow is most often a locational surname, taken from places called Barrow or from living by a barrow, meaning an ancient burial mound or a rounded hill. The word goes back to Old English beorg or related forms used for a hill or mound, and later developed in Middle English as barrow for a mound or tumulus. In surname use, it could point either to someone from a village named Barrow or simply to someone who lived near such a landmark.
History
Historical surname dictionaries record Barrow as a common English place-based name, with many localities in several counties. Some early forms are written with a prefix such as de Barrow, showing the medieval habit of identifying people by origin. Related spellings like Barough and Borrowes reflect the same local-name family in older records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Several English counties have places called Barrow, which is one reason the surname is so widely distributed.
From the historical record
“BARRISTER. The occupation. BARROW, Parishes and places in cos. Derbj', Gloucester, Northumb., Rutland, Salop, Suffolk, Chester, Somerset, Lincoln, Leicester, &c. See Borrowes. BARRY. In some instances from the "Welsh ab Harry, the son of Henry ; but the Barrysof Eoclaveston, co. Notts., claim to be descended from…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Barrow
- Adama Barrow (b. 1965)
- Isaac Barrow (1630–1677)
- Dean Barrow (b. 1951)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.