Show ContentsBabbar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Babbar

What does the name Babbar mean?

Babbar is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Babbar family once lived in Baber, in the county of Suffolk. There is also a place in Cornwall called Baber (sometimes known as St. Dominick) from which some cases of the name may originate, but it is of later origin than the one in Suffolk.

"This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Baber.' Mr. Lower derives it from the Hundred of Babergh, Suffolk. But in the Cornwall Directory occurs a place called Baber, seemingly the same as St. Dominick. Baber is a familiar Devon and Cornwall surname. " 1

Significantly, one source notes that the name could have been Gaelic in origin, from "Babair or Basbair, a fencer or swordsman; one who, by his blows, produced death; from Bas, death, and fear, a man." 2

Early Origins of the Babbar family

The surname Babbar was first found in Cambridgeshire, where Henry Babre was registered in the Hundrendorum Rolls of 1273. 1

Early History of the Babbar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Babbar research. Another 206 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1532, 1571, 1572, 1578, 1582, 1593, 1601, 1608, 1621, 1625, 1628, 1629, 1635, 1640, 1642, 1644, 1660, 1669, 1677, 1687, 1700, 1704 and 1757 are included under the topic Early Babbar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Babbar Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Babbar family name include Baber, Babre, Bayber, Baybre, Babar, Baybar, Babor, Babir and many more.

Early Notables of the Babbar family

Distinguished members of the family include Edward Baber (1532-1578), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Bath (1571 to 1572); John Baber (1593-1644), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Wells (1628-1629) and in 1640; and Sir John Baber, M.D. (1625-1704), an English physician to Charles II. He was the son of John Baber, recorder of Wells, Somersetshire, and was born 18 April 1625. He was educated at Westminster school, whence he...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Babbar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Babbar family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Babbar surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Francis Baber, who sailed to Massachusettes in 1635. Robert Baber journeyed to Virginia in 1663 and Nick Baber sailed to Philadelphia in 1838.



  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print


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