Show ContentsBarbu History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Barbu dates back to the days of Medieval France, in the region of Brittany. It is derived from their residence in the place named Barbeau, in the province of Brittany.

Early Origins of the Barbu family

The surname Barbu was first found in Brittany, where the lordship of Barbu was erected in 1696 in favor of Trévieux.

Early History of the Barbu family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barbu research. Another 268 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1252, 1371, 1414, 1459, 1485, 1488, 1530, 1789 and 1811 are included under the topic Early Barbu History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barbu Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Barbu is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Barbu, Barbut, Barbuat, Barboux, Barbillet, Barbillon, Barbeillon, Barbin and many more.

Early Notables of the Barbu family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

  • the lord of Barbuot who was gentleman of Auxois in Burgundy

Migration of the Barbu family

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Barbu has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Barbu were André Barbou, son of Adrien and Cathrine Moquet, who married, in 1716; Marie Fouchard, daughter of Jean and Anthoinette Bertram. Mr. Barbe was established in Louisiana in 1727..


Contemporary Notables of the name Barbu (post 1700) +

  • Daniel-Constantin Barbu (1957-2024), Romanian political scientist, publisher, essayist, journalist, and professor at the University of Bucharest's Faculty of Political Science
  • Eugen Barbu, Romanian novelist, author of "Groapa" which recounted life of the suburb of Bucharest


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