Show ContentsBehar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Behar family

The surname Behar was first found in Lower Saxony, where the name 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. The name derives itself from the German word for bear ("der Baer").

Early History of the Behar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Behar research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1703, 1792, 1798, 1872 and 1876 are included under the topic Early Behar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Behar Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Behr, Bahr (northern Germany), Barr, Bar, Barre, Baer and many more.

Early Notables of the Behar family

Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Behar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Behar Ranking

In France, the name Behar is the 6,098th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. [1]


United States Behar migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Behar Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Dewald Behar, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1761 [2]
  • John Behar, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Behar (post 1700) +

  • Joseph Behar (b. 1933), American DGA award winning television director
  • Joy Behar (b. 1942), born Josephina Victoria Occhiuto, an American comedian, writer, actress, host of The Joy Behar Show on HLN from 2009 to 2011
  • Adriana Brandão Behar (b. 1969), Brazilian three-time gold and silver volleyball player


  1. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  2. 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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