Barsto History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Barsto

What does the name Barsto mean?

The name Barsto has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in Yorkshire, where they took their name from Bairstow in West Yorkshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English terms beger, for berries, and stow, for grow. It referred to "the place where berries are grown". 1

Early Origins of the Barsto family

The surname Barsto was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 A.D.

Alternatively, the Barton variant could have originated at Barston, a parish, in the union of Solihull, Solihull division of the hundred of Hemlingford in Warwickshire. "In Domesday Book it is written Bercestone, the name, it is supposed, of a possessor in the time of the Saxons. It was anciently given to the Knights Templars and the Hospitallers." 2

Early History of the Barsto family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barsto research. Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barsto History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barsto Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Barsto have been found, including Barstow, Bairstow, Bairstoe, Barstoe and others.

Early Notables of the Barsto family

Barstow of Yorkshire

Migration of the Barsto family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Barsto, or a variant listed above: George and William Barstow who settled in Massachusetts in 1620; George Barstow settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1663; William Bairstow arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1872..

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.