Barry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Barry

What does the name Barry mean?

The story of the Barry family is rich with Scottish history. It begins in the ancient kingdom of Dalriada where Barry evolved as a name for some who lived in Barry, in Angus in mid-west Scotland. The place-name Barry, often spelled Barrie, is derived from the Gaelic word borrach, which means "rough, grassy hill."

Early Origins of the Barry family

The surname Barry was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire, where they have held territories from very ancient times.

Early History of the Barry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barry research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1495, 1560, 1658, 1713 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Barry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barry Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name Barry include many spelling variations. They include They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. Barry, Barrie, Barre, Barrey, Barree and others.

Early Notables of the Barry family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Thomas de Barry (fl. 1560), Scottish canon of Glasgow, and chief magistrate of Bothwell who wrote a poem on the battle of Otterburn, the greater part of which is quoted in the eighteenth century editi...
Elizabeth Barry (1658-1713), was an English actress of the Restoration period

Barry World Ranking

In the United States, the name Barry is the 771^st most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Barry is ranked the 699^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,553 people with that name. 2 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Barry is the 179^th popular surname with an estimated 223 people with that name. 3 France ranks Barry as 2,221^st with 2,877 people. 4 Australia ranks Barry as 260^th with 13,298 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Barry as 461^st with 1,498 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Barry as 556^th with 11,688 people. 7

Migration of the Barry family to Ireland

Some of the Barry family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barry migration to the United States +

Scottish settlers arrived in many of the communities that became the backbones of the United States and Canada. Many stayed, but some headed west for the endless open country of the prairies. In the American War of Independence, many Scots who remained loyal to England re-settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Scots across North America were able to recover much of their lost heritage in the 20th century as Clan societies and highland games sprang up across North America. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Barrys to arrive on North American shores:

Barry Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Sgt. William Barry, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 8
David Barry, who landed in Virginia in 1622 9
Garratt Barry, who settled in Virginia in 1651
Garratt Barry, who landed in Virginia in 1651 9
Garrett Barry, who arrived in Maryland in 1651 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barry Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Barry, who landed in Virginia in 1700 9
John Barry, who landed in Virginia in 1714 9
William Barry, who settled in South Carolina in 1716
Jean Barry, aged 33, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 9
Charles Barry, who arrived in Virginia in 1720 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barry Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis Barry, who arrived in America in 1802 9
Ann Barry, who arrived in America in 1806 9
Elnr Barry, who landed in America in 1806 9
Lawrence Barry, aged 33, who landed in New York in 1812 9
Betsey Barry, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1813 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barry Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Miss Elizabeth Barry, (b. 1863), aged 40, Cornish housekeeper, from Truro, Cornwall travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 11th July 1903 en route to Hamilton, Montana, USA 10

Barry migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barry Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. François Barry, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 4th April 1644 11

Barry Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Barry, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
John Barry, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1752
Mr. Lewis Barry U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 12
Mr. Samuel Barry U.E. who arrived in Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on December 13, 1783 was passenger number 387 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York 12
Mr. Thomas Barry U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 12

Barry Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

David Barry, from Waterglass Hill, County Cork, was married in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1803 13
Fanny and John Barry both of whom arrived in Canada in 1823
Edmond Barry, aged 41, who landed in Canada in 1823
Fanny Barry, aged 19, who landed in Canada in 1823
John Barry, aged 32, who arrived in Canada in 1823
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barry migration to Australia +

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

Barry Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Barry, (b. 1812), aged 10, Irish errand boy who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
James Barry, a bricklayer, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Alexander Barry, a cabinet-maker, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. William Barry, (b. 1802), aged 24, Irish tailor who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for life for murder, transported aboard the "Boyne" on 28th October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1833 when he was hit by a tree 15
Mrs. Ellen Barry, (b. 1777), aged 49, Irish country servant who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barry 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:

Barry Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Barry, aged 29, a gardener, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
Richard Barry, aged 24, a farmer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
William Barry, aged 31, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
Margaret Barry, aged 29, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
Edward Barry, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barry migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17

Barry Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Clement Barry, English settler from Exeter, Devon, England, (b. 1612), aged 22, British settler travelling from Plymouth, England aboard the ship "Margarett" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) on 1st March 1634 18
Alce Barry, who arrived in Barbados in 1679 9
Alice Barry, who settled in Barbados in 1680 with servants

Contemporary Notables of the name Barry (post 1700) +

Patrick Barry (1816-1890), American horticulturist, who arrived in America at age 24, and was an important influence in the beginnings of fruit growing in America
Cheri Merritt Barry (1955-2023), American Republican politician, first female Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi (2009-2013) 19
Maryanne Trump Barry (1937-2023), American attorney and United States federal judge
Julian Barry (1930-2023), American screenwriter and playwright, best known for his Oscar-nominated script for the 1974 film Lenny about comedian Lenny Bruce
Odell Carl Barry (1941-2022), American professional football wide receiver for the Denver Broncos in the American Football League (1964-1965), Mayor of Northglenn, Colorado, 1980-82; Member of Democratic National Committee from Colorado, 1989-93
Richard Donovan "Rich" Barry (1940-2021), American Major League Baseball player who appeared in 20 games in for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1969, primarily as an outfielder
Len Barry (1942-2020), born Leonard Borisoff, an American vocalist, songwriter, and record producer
Roger Graham Barry (1935-2018), English-born, American geographer and climatologist who was awarded a Founders Medal from the Royal Geographical Society in 2007
Dave Barry (b. 1947), American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005 and who won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
Patricia Barry (1922-2016), née White, an American actress
... (Another 119 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Barry family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Fred Barry, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 20

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Edward Barry, American 2nd Class passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 21
Mr. W. Barry, Irish Fireman from Dublin, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 21

RMS Titanic

Miss Julia Barry (d. 1912), aged 26, American Third Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 22

SS Atlantic

Mr. Chris Barry, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Eliza Barry, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Isabella Barry, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

St. Francis Dam

Mr. John "Scotty" Barry, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

USS Indianapolis

Charles Schwab Barry (1922-1945), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 23

The Barry Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Regi legi fidelis
Motto Translation: Faithful to king and law.

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
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"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
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
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
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 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyne
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Cornish in the Caribbean (retrieved on 23rd September 2021). Retrieved from https://books.google.ca/books?id=gnSFDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA265&lpg=PA265&dq=wallen+lizard+cornwall&source=bl&ots=ARTnm6uRLv&sig=ACfU3U3ewicUaBkTuwC_Gpr0ic-
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, July 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew