Show ContentsBarnhart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Barnhart

What does the name Barnhart mean?

The Portuguese surname Barnhart is of patronymic origin, derived from the first name of the father and literally meant "(son) of Bernard". The forename Bernhard is an old German name composed of the elements "ber(n)" which means "bear" and "hard" which means "brave, strong, courageous."

Its popularity as a Christian name is largely due to the two saints of this name, St. Bernard of Menthon (d.1081), popularly known as the patron saint of mountaineers, who founded the Alpine hospices and whose name has been given to the dogs used to look for lost travelers, and the French St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153), churchman and mystic who became the most powerful influence in France, and later, in all Western Europe.

Early Origins of the Barnhart family

The surname Barnhart was first found in Portugal where "a family so-called of nobles existed already in time of Kings D. Afonso V and D. Joao II, living in Ponte from Lima. Many were Minho nobility and a branch of Bernardes de Obidos, and Heitor Bernardes Botado, people of great value and great spirits, including Manso de Lima, who was a warrior genius; he went to serve the Emperor Charles V. He returned to Portugal and, getting married, gave rise to Bernardes Botados." 1

Early History of the Barnhart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barnhart research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1008, 1010, 1091, 1153, 1346, 1438, 1481, 1530, 1578, 1596, 1644 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Barnhart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barnhart Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bernardo, Bernardes, Bernardi, Bernardino, Bernhard, Bernhardt, Bernhart, Barnhard, Barnhardt and many more.

Early Notables of the Barnhart family

Prominent members of the family include Guillermo Bernardo held the title of Duke of Gascua and was a son of Guillermo Sancho, who died in 1010. Oliver Bernardo held the office of Bishop of Barcelona in the mid 4th century, and was sent to the diocese of Tortosa by order of Pope Clement VI in 1346. Jesús Maria Bernardo was a member of the Carmelite order and prior of the...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barnhart Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barnhart Ranking

In the United States, the name Barnhart is the 1,862nd most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 2


Barnhart migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barnhart Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Barnhart, who arrived in New York in 1706 3
  • Agnes Marg Barnhart, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 3
  • Hans Peter Barnhart, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
  • Johan Stepn Barnhart, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
  • John William Barnhart, who landed in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in 1742 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Barnhart Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jacob Barnhart, who arrived in Maryland in 1840 3
  • L Barnhart, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
  • R Barnhart, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
  • Charles Barnhart, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1852 3
  • Teunis Barnhart, who arrived in Iowa in 1856 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barnhart migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barnhart Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Sgt. Charles Barnhart, "Barnhardt" U.E. (b. 1760) born in East Campbell, New York, USA who settled in Fredericksburgh, Cataraqui township, [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1783 he served in the Kings Royal Regiment of New York was married to Catherine Forshee "Fosyuar" in 1789 they had 9 children, he died in 1864 in Brockville, Ontario 4
  • Sgt. George Barnhart U.E. (b. 1737) born in Loonenburg, Greene, New York, USA from Pentacton, Ulster County, USA who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 enlisted in 1780 in the King's Royal Regiment of New York after serving in Turloch Militia under Captain Jacob Miller, he married Catherine Sharpstone they had 14 children, he died in 1811 4
  • Mrs. Catherine Barnhart U.E who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 daughter of Lt. Jacob Sharpstone U.E. married to Sgt. George Barnhart 4
  • Mr. Jacob Barnhart U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 son of George Barnhart 4
  • Mr. John Barnhart, "Barnhardt" U.E. from Dutchess County, New York, USA who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 served as part of the King's Royal Regiment of New York he had one daughter 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Barnhart (post 1700) +

  • Victor Dee Barnhart (1922-2017), American professional baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1944 to 1946
  • Katie Barnhart, American pair skater
  • Phyllis Barnhart (1922-2008), American animator and cel painter
  • Scotty Barnhart, one of the modern American masters of jazz trumpet
  • Edgar Vernon Barnhart (1904-1984), American professional professional baseball pitcher
  • Keith Lee Barnhart (b. 1962), American composer, keyboardist and audio engineer
  • Frank A. Barnhart, American actor, producer, director, and college professor
  • Leslie Earl Barnhart (1905-1971), American Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Daniel High "Dan" Barnhart (b. 1912), American football tailback
  • Jeffrey L. Barnhart (b. 1956), Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly
  • ... (Another 27 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. De Faria, Antonio Machado. Armorial lusitano: genealogia e heráldica. Lisboa, 1961. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X


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