Contents [hide]

Barkley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Barkley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Although the surname is generally known as Scottish, the origins of the name come from when the ancestors of the family lived in the parish of Berkeley in the county of Gloucestershire. Local names such as Barkley were taken from the name of the place or landmark where the original bearer of the name lived or was born.

Early Origins of the Barkley family

The surname Barkley was first found in Gloucestershire, where the earliest records of the name include Roger de Bercleia of Gloucestershire in the Domesday Book of 1086; as well as Edidius de Berkeleye and Maurice de Berkelay of Somerset, both recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls in 1273. The family held the parish of Berkeley long before the Norman Conquest.

However, when they refused to submit to King William, they were pressured into moving northward to Scotland. There, they established a line close to the Scottish throne. One of the first records of the name was Theobald de Berkeley who was listed there temp. David I. 1

"Roger de Berkely, a Saxon living at the time of the Conquest was the grandfather of Theobald de Berkely, who settled in Scotland, and was the ancestor of the Barclays. " 2

"Walter de Berchelai or Berkelai held the high office of Chamberlain of Scotland in 1165, was present in Curia Regis at Lanark in that year, and witnessed several charters of William the Lion. " 3

During the late Middle Ages, the name was quite common in Fife and Aberdeenshire. They were the traditional sheriffs of Banffshire for many generations. Another line was established in Mathers during the end of the 12th century. In 1456, the chiefship went to the Barclays of Towie, and has since remained there.

Early History of the Barkley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barkley research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1189, 1196, 1476, 1552, 1582, 1598, 1610, 1621, 1648, 1668, 1682, 1686, 1690, 1696, 1698, 1890 and 1950 are included under the topic Early Barkley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barkley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Berkeley, Barkley, Barklay, Barckley, Barclay and many more.

Early Notables of the Barkley family

Distinguished members of the family include Dr Alexander Barclay (c.1476-1552), English/Scottish poet; John Barclay (1582-1621), Scottish satirist and neo-Latin poet; Colonel David Barclay (1610-1686), 1st Laird of Urie, Kincardineshire, leader of a famed highland regiment that served as mercenaries under Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden; and his son, Robert Barclay (1648-1690), a Scottish Quaker, one of the most eminent writers belonging to the Religious Society of Friends, 2nd Governor of East Jersey (1682-1690.) Sir George Barclay (fl. 1696), was the principal agent in the assassination plot against William III in 1696, was of Scotch descent, and at the...
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barkley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barkley Ranking

In the United States, the name Barkley is the 2,584^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Barkley family to Ireland

Some of the Barkley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barkley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barkley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Barkley, who landed in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Seaflower" 5
Edward Barkley, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Unity" 5
Gabriel Barkley, who landed in Maryland in 1656 5
Nicholas Barkley, who landed in Maryland in 1665 5
Robert Barkley, who landed in East New Jersey in 1682 5

Barkley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hugh Barkley, who landed in Virginia in 1776 5
Charles William Barkley, who landed in New York in 1795 5

Barkley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Arthur Barkley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5
John Barkley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 5

Barkley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barkley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Christian Barkley U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 6
Mr. Everhart Barkley U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 6
Mr. Peter Barkley U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 6
Mr. William Barkley U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 6

Barkley migration to Australia +

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

Barkley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Barkley, aged 20, a baker, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Duke of Wellington" 7
David Barkley, who arrived in Port Phillip aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1849 8
Emma Barkley, who arrived in Port Phillip aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1849 8
Robert Barkley, who arrived in Port Phillip aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1849 8
Ellen Barkley, who arrived in Port Phillip aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1849 8

Barkley 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:

Barkley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Barkley, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lincoln" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 19th July 1867 9
Miss Elizabeth Barkley, (b. 1849), aged 20, British cook travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th September 1869 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Barkley (post 1700) +

Alexander Barkley (1817-1893), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Washington County 1st District, 1865-66
Charles Barkley (b. 1963), American former basketball player
Alben W Barkley (1877-1956), American Democratic politician, 35th Vice-President of the United States (1949-1953)
Private First Class John Lewis Barkley (1895-1966), United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
Sam Barkley (1858-1912), American Major League Baseball second baseman
Russell Barkley, American doctor of clinical psychology and ADHD researcher
Private David Bennes Barkley (1899-1918), United States Army soldier who posthumously received the Medal of Honor
Charles Barkley, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates District 39; Elected 1998; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 2000 10
Benjamin F. Barkley, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Greene County, 1875 10
B. Frank Barkley, American Republican politician, Chair of Hunterdon County Republican Party, 1913-14 10
... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Barkley 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: Crux salutem confert
Motto Translation: The cross brings salvation

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
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
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) "MADAWASKA" 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Madawaska.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html