The surname Barrs was first used in the Scottish/English Borderlands by an ancient Scottish people called the Strathclyde-
Britons. It was a name for someone who lived in
Ayrshire, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages. It is generally thought to have been a habitational name, taken on from any of various place names in southwestern
Scotland, in particular in
Ayrshire and
Renfrewshire. These place names derive from the Gaelic word
barr, meaning "height," or "hill."
Early Origins of the Barrs family
The surname Barrs was first found in
Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of
Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North
Ayrshire. "The surname is most frequently found at the present day in the district around Glasgow, and is a common surname in the Kilbarchan Commissariot Record. Atkyn de Barr was bailie of Ayr c. 1340. John Bar or de Barre was burgess of Edinburgh in 1423."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) However, some of the family were first found further south at Tollerton in
Nottinghamshire. "This place, which takes its name from Torlaston, one of its possessors before the Conquest, in the reign of Stephen became the manor of Radulphus Barre, with whose descendants it still remains."
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. The
Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Gunilda de la Barre in
Hertfordshire and Philip de le Barre in Huntingdonshire.
[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Early History of the Barrs family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barrs research.
Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1590, 1551, 1554, 1565, 1600, 1612, 1686, 1600 and are included under the topic Early Barrs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Barrs Spelling Variations
The many
spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names result from the fact that scribes in that era spelled words according to sound. Translation too, was an undeveloped science, and many names were altered into complete obscurity. Over the years Barrs has been spelled Barr, Barre and others.
Early Notables of the Barrs family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Barrs Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Barrs family to Ireland
Some of the Barrs family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Barrs family to the New World and Oceana
To escape the uncertainties and discrimination faced in
Scotland, many decided to head out for North America. Once they arrived, many Scots fought with relish in the American War of Independence; some went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Many ancestors of these Scots have recovered their lost national heritage in the 20th century through
Clan organizations and Scottish historical societies. Among the settlers to North America were:
Barrs Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Barrs, who landed in New York in 1800 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Barrs Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- John Barrs, English convict from Nottingham, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826