The name Obarr was first used by the ancient Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The first Obarr family 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 Obarr family
The surname Obarr 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 Obarr family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Obarr 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 Obarr History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Obarr Spelling Variations
Surnames that evolved in
Scotland in the Middle Ages often appear under many
spelling variations. These are due to the practice of spelling according to sound in the era before dictionaries had standardized the English language. Obarr has appeared as Barr, Barre and others.
Early Notables of the Obarr family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Obarr Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Obarr family to Ireland
Some of the Obarr 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 Obarr family to the New World and Oceana
The North American colonies beckoned, with their ample land and opportunity as their freedom from the persecution suffered by so many
Clan families back home. Many Scots even fought against
England in the American
War of Independence to gain this freedom. Recently, clan societies have allowed the ancestors of these brave Scottish settlers to rediscover their familial roots. Among them: Roger Barr, who settled in Virginia in 1655; Robt Barr, who came to New
England in 1718; Gabriel Barr, who came to New
Hampshire in 1720; George Barr, who settled in Maryland in 1761.