Show ContentsBarreto History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Barreto

What does the name Barreto mean?

Noble surnames, such as Barreto, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Barreto, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in Spain. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The surname Barreto originally derived from the Spanish word Barrera which referred to a barrier and denoted that the family originally lived beside a gate or fence.

Early Origins of the Barreto family

The surname Barreto was first found in Castile, an important Christian kingdom of medieval Spain.

Early History of the Barreto family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barreto research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1274, 1530, 1565, 1569, 1577, 1593, 1597, 1625 and 1701 are included under the topic Early Barreto History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barreto Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Barrios, de Barrios, Barrio, de Barrio, Barro, Barros, de Barros, Barroso, Barrera, de Barrera, de la Barrera, Barreda, de Barreda, Barral, Barreto, Barrientos and many more.

Early Notables of the Barreto family

Prominent among members of the family were sixteenth century writer and philosopher Alonso de Barros; Miguel Barrios (c.1625-1701), a Spanish poet and historian; sixteenth century scientist and writer Bartolomé Barrientos; eighteenth century Spanish naval officer Blas Clemente de Barreda y Campuzano; nineteenth century Spanish politician and scholar Matías Barrio y Mier; nineteenth century Spanish military officer Cándido Barrios; nineteenth century Chilean writer Diego Barros Arana; nineteenth century Spanish actor Antonio Barroso; nineteenth century Salvadoran President Gerardo Barrios; nineteenth century Guatemalan President Justo Rufino Barrios; and nineteenth century Chilean writer Daniel Barros Grez.Alonzo de Bárcena (also called de Barzana) was a Spanish...
Another 132 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barreto Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barreto Ranking

In the United States, the name Barreto is the 4,678th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


Barreto migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barreto Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Isabel Barreto, a Spanish navigator who voyaged to America in the late 1500s. In Peru she married Alvaro de Mendaña, whom she accompanied on a Pacific expedition in 1595 that led to the discovery of the Santa Cruz islands. After Mendaña's death she became Governor of the lands they had discovered
Barreto Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • M Barreto, aged 30, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1831 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Barreto (post 1700) +

  • Ashley Ann Cariño Barreto (b. 1994), Puerto Rican-American model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2022
  • Waldemar Victorino Barreto (1952-2023), Uruguayan footballer who played as a forward
  • Emília Barreto Corrêa Lima (1934-2022), Brazilian beauty queen, 2nd Miss Brazil in 1955
  • Luís Maria Kalidás da Costa Barreto GOL (1932-2020), Portuguese accountant and unionist
  • Fábio Villela Barreto Borges (1957-2019), Brazilian filmmaker, actor, screenwriter, and film producer
  • Ramón Ivanoes Barreto Ruiz (1939-2015), Uruguayan professional association football referee for the FIFA World Cup (1974 and 1978)
  • Afonso Henriques de Lima Barreto (1881-1922), Brazilian novelist and journalist
  • Lia Menna Barreto (b. 1959), Brazilian artist
  • Honório Pereira Barreto (1813-1859), Governor of the Portuguese colony of Guinea
  • Gonzalo Barreto Mastropierro (b. 1992), Uruguayan football striker
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook