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Barr History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Barr History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland

Early Origins of the Barr family

The surname Barr was first found in Lower Saxony, where the name Bar was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. They branched into many houses, and their contributions were sought by many leaders in their search for power.

Early History of the Barr family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barr research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1701 is included under the topic Early Barr History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barr Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bar, Barr, Barre, Bars, Barres, Ber, Baer, Berr, Baerr, Berre, Baerre, Bers, Baers, Berres and many more.

Early Notables of the Barr family

More information is included under the topic Early Barr Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barr World Ranking

In the United States, the name Barr is the 698^th most popular surname with an estimated 42,279 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Barr is ranked the 815^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,592 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Barr is the 504^th popular surname with an estimated 7,541 people with that name. 3 New Zealand ranks Barr as 440^th with 1,538 people. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Barr as 517^th with 12,679 people. 5

Barr migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barr Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Roger Barr, who landed in Virginia in 1655 6
John Barr, who landed in Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1684 6

Barr Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Barr, who settled in New England in 1718
Gabriel Barr, who settled in New Hampshire in 1720
Gabriel Barr, who arrived in New England in 1720 6
Samuel Barr, who landed in New England in 1720 6
John George Barr, who arrived in South Carolina in 1735 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barr Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Barr, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1802 6
Jane Barr, who landed in America in 1805 6
Enos Barr, aged 36, who landed in Maine in 1812 6
Agnes Barr, who landed in Massachusetts in 1812 6
Eleanor Barr, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barr migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barr Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Sarah Barr, aged 21, who arrived in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774
William Barr, who was a fisherman in Port de Grave, Newfoundland in 1775 7

Barr Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Peter Barr, aged 25, who landed in Canada in 1811
David Barr, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Favourite" in 1815
Peter Barr, who arrived in Canada in 1820
Ira C Barr, who arrived in Canada in 1833
James Barr, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barr migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Barr Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Alexander Barr, (b. 1796), aged 39, Scottish ploughman who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1872 8
Mr. Moses Barr, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
William Barr, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Delhi" in 1839 10
Mr. William Barr, (b. 1818), aged 21, Irish black smith who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 19th May 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. Daniel Barr, (David), (b. 1811), aged 29, Irish ploughman who was convicted in Londonderry, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "British Sovereign" on 16th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barr migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Barr Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Barr, who landed in Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
John Barr, aged 39, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Jean Barr, aged 37, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
John Barr, aged 19, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Arabella Barr, aged 16, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Barr (post 1700) +

William Pelham Barr (b. 1950), American attorney who served as United States attorney general in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1991 to 1993 and again in the administration of President Donald Trump from 2019 to 2020
Roseanne Cherie Barr (b. 1952), award-winning American actress, comedienne, writer, television producer and director
George Edward Barr (1937-2025), American science fiction and fantasy artist, born in Tucson, Arizona
Doris "Dodie" Barr (1921-2009), Canadian pitcher who played from 1943-1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Mary Barr (1925-2010), American first female aviator to join the US Forest Service, recipient of the Lassen Experimental Aviation Association (LEAA) for her years of service in helping pilots and using the Susanville airport to relay weather information to the public
Harvey Scott Barr Jr. (1916-2015), American politician, Member of the Washington House of Representatives (1977-1983)
Major-General David Goodwin Barr (1895-1970), American Commanding General Armored Center Fort Knox (1951-1952) 13
Cynthia Elizabeth Barr (b. 1971), American silver medalist swimmer at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Robert L Barr Jr. (b. 1948), American politician, member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (1995-2003)
Amelia Edith Barr (1831-1919), English-born, American author
... (Another 94 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Barr family +

Lady of the Lake

Mr. Mitchel Barr (b. 1816), Irish labourer from Moville, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and he died in the sinking

RMS Lusitania

Mr. James Barr, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 14
Mrs. Catherine Symington Barr, (née Young), Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 14

SS Caribou

Mr. G. E. Barr, British passenger who was Royal Army was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he survived the sinking

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DELHI 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Delhi.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/british-sovereign
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) David Barr. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Barr/David_Goodwin/USA.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/