Show ContentsBarbaro History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Barbaro

What does the name Barbaro mean?

From the ancient and picturesque Italian region of Venice emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Barbaro. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames are also found. Local names, which are the least frequent of the major types of surnames found in Italy, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di," which signifies emigration from one place to another, but does not necessarily denote nobility. The Barbaro family lived in the Veneto region of Italy.

Frederick Barbarossa (1122 - 1190), also known as Frederick I was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 till he died in 1190. Elected King of Germany in March 1152 and crowned in Aachen, he was also crowned King of Italy in April 1155, then Emperor by Pope Adrian IV in June 1155. Later formally crowned King of Burgundy in 1178, given the name Barbarossa "Red Beard" in Italian by the northern italian cities. In Germany he was known as Kaiser Rotbart which means "Emperor Redbeard". He was the son of Duke Frederick II of the Hohenstaufen dynasty and Judith, daughter of Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria, from the rival House of Welf. On 10 June 1190, he drowned near Silifke Castle in the Saleph River.

Early Origins of the Barbaro family

The surname Barbaro was first found in Sicily (Italian: Sicilia), the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time, at the beginning of recorded history, was of itself a great distinction and indicative of noble ancestry.

Early History of the Barbaro family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barbaro research. Another 223 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1410, 1443, 1453, 1466, 1485, 1491, 1494, 1500, 1516, 1546, 1550, 1552, 1660, 1679 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Barbaro History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barbaro Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Barbaro, Barbara, Barabari, Barbarino, Barbarella, Barbarelli, Barbarotti and many more.

Early Notables of the Barbaro family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was

  • Hayreddin Barbarossa (Khidr), (c. 1466/83 - 1546), Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy. His naval victories secured Ottoman dominance over the Mediterranean during the mid 16th centu...
  • Antonio Barbaro (died 1679), was an Italian military leader and member of the patrician Barbaro family of Venice, Italy


Barbaro migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barbaro Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Santiago Barbaro, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 1
  • Sebastian Barbaro, who arrived in America in 1817 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Barbaro (post 1700) +

  • Monica Barbaro (b. 1990), American actress from San Francisco, California, known for her roles in season 2 of UnREAL, The Good Cop, and Top Gun: Maverick
  • Gary Barbaro (b. 1954), American former defensive back in the National Football League and United States Football League
  • Louis Barbaro (1916-1976), American professional golfer and club pro
  • Francesco Barbaro (1546-1616), Venetian diplomat and an Italian Catholic bishop
  • Niccolò Barbaro, Venetian physician, and author of an eyewitness account of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453
  • Federico Barbaro (1913-1996), Italian missionary in Japan
  • Ermolao Barbaro (1410-1474), Italian prelate
  • Antonio Barbaro (d. 1679), Italian military leader
  • Francesco Barbaro (1390-1454), Italian politician, diplomat, and humanist
  • Marcantonio Barbaro (1518-1595), Italian diplomat of the Republic of Venice
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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