Show ContentsBarun History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The word Baron "is of Celtic extraction, and originally synonymous with man in general. It has this meaning in the Salic law, and in. The laws of the Lombards; in the English law, the phrase Baron and feme is equivalent to man and wife. It was afterward used to denote a man of respectability, a stout or valiant man. From denoting a stout or valiant man, it was employed as a name for a distinguished military leader, who having fought and conquered under some great commander, was afterward rewarded by him with a part of the lands which he had acquired." [1]

Early Origins of the Barun family

The surname Barun was first found in Baron, near Caen, Normandy. "William de Baron, son of Aiulph de Foro, was an early benefactor to Ardennes Abbey Normandy." [2]

The family landed in Devon shortly after the Conquest where Richard le Baron held one and a half fee there in 1165. [2]

While this early record follows the first Norman landing in Britain, we found another earlier record in 1095 when Lefuine Baron held estates at Bury in Suffolk. [3]

Later records at Sotterley in Suffolk listed the following: "The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £10, and in the gift of Frederick Barne, Esq., whose ancestor, Sir George Barne, was lord mayor of London in the time of Edward VI." [4]

Geoffrey le Barun was listed in the Assize Rolls of Hampshire in 1236 and a few years later John Barn was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. [3]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Richard le Baron in Devon; and Geoffrey le Barun in Oxfordshire. [5]

Early History of the Barun family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barun research. Another 419 words (30 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1428, 1477, 1488, 1500, 1505, 1508, 1520, 1534, 1539, 1555, 1647, 1685, 1705, 1715, 1718, 1722, 1726 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Barun History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barun Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Barun include Baron, Barrone, Barron, Barne, Barone and others.

Early Notables of the Barun family

Distinguished members of the family include William Barons or Barnes (d. 1505), Bishop of London and Master of the Rolls, "about whom singularly little is known, appears to have been educated at Oxford, where he took the degree of LL.D., but in what college or hall he studied has not been ascertained. " [6]Stephen Baron (d...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barun Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Barun family to Ireland

Some of the Barun family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Barun migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Barun were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Barun Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Johnson Barun, aged 27, who arrived in New York, NY in 1834 [7]


  1. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  7. 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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