Find out how popular the last name Barr is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Barr.

Barr, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Barr surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barr in America

Barr is the 781st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barr surname appeared 44,130 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname Barr.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barr to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Barr

The surname Barr is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic word 'bàrr' meaning 'summit' or 'height'. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived on or near a hill or elevated land.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Barr can be found in the late 13th century. One of the earliest documented bearers was John de Barre, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, the name Barr appeared in various spellings, such as de Barre, de Barr, and Barre, reflecting the fluid nature of surnames in medieval times. One notable bearer from this period was Robert de Barre, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

The surname Barr has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, including Barr in Ayrshire and Barr in Renfrewshire. These locations likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the name in their respective regions.

Throughout history, the Barr surname has been borne by several notable individuals, such as Robert Barr (1850-1912), a Scottish-Canadian author known for his detective fiction; James Barr (1862-1949), a Scottish-American golfer and one of the pioneers of professional golf; and Roseanne Barr (born 1952), an American comedian and actress.

Other notable bearers of the Barr surname include John Barr (1809-1889), a Scottish minister and author; Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr (1831-1919), an American novelist and educator; and Stringfellow Barr (1897-1982), an American educator and writer.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barr

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Barr.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Barr was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Barr has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Barr was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Barr, please contact us.

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