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Barrow Family History

Barrow Name Meaning

English:: habitational name from any of numerous places called with Old English bearo bearu ‘grove’ (dative bear(o)we bearuwe) or Old English beorg dative beorge (Middle English berwe barwe) ‘mound tumulus’ for example in Cheshire Derbyshire Gloucestershire Lancashire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Shropshire Suffolk and Somerset or a topographic name with the same meaning. habitational name from Barrow in Furness Lancashire which is named with an unattested Celtic word barr here meaning ‘promontory’ + Old Norse ey ‘island’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Barlow, Carrow, Yarrow, Harrow, Barre, Barrows, Arrow, Harlow, Harrop

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Where is the Barrow family from?

You can see how Barrow families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Barrow family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Barrow families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 122 Barrow families living in Ontario. This was about 43% of all the recorded Barrow's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Barrow families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Barrow surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Barrow ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Income were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Barrow. 29% of Barrow men worked as a Farmer and 28% of Barrow women worked as an Income. Some less common occupations for Americans named Barrow were Carpenter and Stenographer. .

View Census Data for Barrow | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    29%
  • Labourer
    19%
  • Laborer
    12%
  • Carpenter
    9%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Income
    28%
  • Nurse
    19%
  • Housewife
    19%
  • Stenographer
    19%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Barrow family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 186,000 census records available for the last name Barrow. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Barrow census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Barrow

Passenger Lists

There are 24,000 immigration records available for the last name Barrow. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Barrow immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 23,000 military records available for the last name Barrow. For the veterans among your Barrow ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Barrow lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Barrow life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1949, and highest in 1952. The average life expectancy for Barrow in 1942 was 54, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Barrow

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