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

Barrie, 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 Barrie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barrie in America

Barrie is the 10219th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barrie surname appeared 3,154 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Barrie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barrie 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 Barrie

The surname Barrie originated in Scotland. It is a locational name derived from Barrie, a town situated between the cities of Dundee and Perth in the county of Angus. The name Barrie is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "barr" meaning "height" or "hill", and "ath" meaning "ford" or "river crossing".

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Barrie can be traced back to the 12th century. It appears in the Cartulary of Arbroath Abbey, a medieval manuscript that contains records of land grants and transactions in the area. In this document, a person named Malice de Barrie is mentioned as a witness to a charter granted by King William the Lion of Scotland in the late 12th century.

The Barrie surname is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of written instruments by which Scottish nobles and clergy were compelled to swear allegiance to King Edward I of England. Several individuals with the surname Barrie, including Nicol de Barri and William de Barre, are listed among the Scottish landowners who submitted to Edward I's rule.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Barrie was Sir Alexander Barrie (c. 1460 - c. 1530), a Scottish nobleman and landowner who served as the Provost of the town of Dundee. Another prominent figure was Sir David Barrie (1574 - 1645), a Scottish military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War and later served as the Governor of Breda in the Netherlands.

In the literary world, James Matthew Barrie (1860 - 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright best known for creating the character of Peter Pan. His most famous works include the play "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" and the novel "Peter and Wendy".

Other notable individuals with the Barrie surname include Sir John Barrie (1705 - 1781), a Scottish judge and Lord of Session, and Sir Robert Barrie (1774 - 1841), a British naval officer who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station during the Napoleonic Wars.

The surname Barrie has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Barrie in Angus, Barrie in Forfar, and Barrie in Perthshire. Over time, the name has evolved into different spellings, including Barry, Barrie, Barre, and Barrey, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barrie

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

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 Barrie 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 Barrie 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 Barrie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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