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Barbara Family History

Barbara Surname Meaning

Italian English and West Indian (Dutch Caribbean); Spanish and Portuguese (Bárbara): from the female personal name Barbara which was borne by a popular Christian saint who according to legend was imprisoned in a tower and later put to death by her own father for refusing to recant her Christian beliefs.

The name comes from the feminine form of Latin barbarus Greek barbaros ‘foreign(er)’ (originally an onomatopoeic word formed in imitation of the unintelligible babbling of non-Greeks).

As a West Indian surname it reflects the partially mother-oriented name culture of the formerly enslaved people of the West Indies (compare Martina).

Catalan (Barbarà): variant of Barberà (see Barbera).

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


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Where is the Barbara family from?

You can see how Barbara families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Barbara family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Barbara families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 33 Barbara families living in Ontario. This was about 31% of all the recorded Barbara's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Barbara families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Barbara 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 Barbara ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Tailor were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Barbara. 53% of Barbara men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Barbara women worked as a Tailor.

View Census Data for Barbara | 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
    53%
  • Labourer
    16%
  • Cultivateur
    11%
  • Miner
    11%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Tailor
    100%

What Barbara family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 20,000 census records available for the last name Barbara. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Barbara census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Barbara

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Barbara. 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 Barbara immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Barbara. For the veterans among your Barbara ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Barbara military records

You've only scratched the surface of Barbara family history

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What is the average Barbara lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Barbara life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Barbara in 1941 was 45, and 80 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Barbara

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Barbara ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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