Show ContentsBarba History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Noble surnames, such as Barba, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Barba, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. Many Spanish local names reflect Arabic words or place-names because Spain was conquered by the Muslim Moors from the 8th to 12th centuries. The Barba family lived in the region of Barbarius, in the province of Tarragona.

Early Origins of the Barba family

The surname Barba was first found in Castile, prominent among the medieval Christian kingdoms of Spain.

Early History of the Barba family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barba research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1127, 1394, 1529, 1539, 1590 and 1650 are included under the topic Early Barba History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barba Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Barba, Barbo, Barbado, Barbada, de Barbada, Barbachano, Barbadillo, Barbón, Barbon, Barbosa, Barboso, Barbero, Barbera, Barberán, Barberan, Barbería, Barberia, Barbasán and many more.

Early Notables of the Barba family

Prominent among members of the family

  • Martín de Barbada, knight of the Reconquest, who died in 1394 during an unsuccessful attempt to capture Granada
  • Lope de Barba Figueroa, made a Knight of St. John in 1529
  • Juan Barba Cabeza de Vaca, made a Knight of Santiago in 1539
  • sixteenth century Spanish architect Alfonso Barba
  • Alvaro Alfonso Barba, sixteenth century Spanish writer and missionary to Peru

Barba Ranking

In the United States, the name Barba is the 4,430th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Barba is ranked the 6,613rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2


United States Barba migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barba Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Juan Barba de Vallecillo sailed to Hispaniola in 1537 with his son Bernaldo and daughter Harguenta
  • Alonso Barba, to the Spanish Main in 1538
  • Alonso de Barba, to Peru in 1579
Barba Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Adrian Barba, who arrived in Virginia in 1621 3
Barba Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Barba, who landed in Georgia in 1742 3
  • Francois Barba, who landed in Mobile Ala in 1764 3
Barba Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Antonio Barba, who landed in America in 1817 3
  • Alonso Barba, who arrived in Spanish Main in 1838 3
  • G Barba, aged 31, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1846 3
  • A Barba, aged 20, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1846 3
  • Ignacio Barba, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1847 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Barba (post 1700) +

  • Eric Barba, American Academy Award winning Visual Effects Supervisor, Chief Creative Officer for Digital Domain 3.0
  • Norberto Barba (b. 1963), American three-time ALMA Award nominated television and film director
  • Antonella Maria Barba (b. 1986), American singer who placed in the top 16 on the sixth season of American Idol
  • Osmar Ibáñez Barba (b. 1988), known as Osmar, a Spanish footballer
  • Marco Antonio Barba López (b. 1985), Spanish racing driver
  • Álvaro Barba López (b. 1984), Spanish racing driver, brother to fellow racer Marco Barba
  • Ramon Cabanos Barba ONS (1939-2021), Filipino inventor and horticulturist, best known for inventing a way to induce more flowers in mango trees using ethrel and potassium nitrate
  • Stefano Barba (b. 1964), former Italian rugby union player and a current coach
  • Federico Barba (b. 1993), Italian footballer
  • Benjamin "Ben" Barba (b. 1989), Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer who won the Dally M Medal award for best player of the year in 2012
  • ... (Another 3 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. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  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)


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