Barr Family History

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Barr Name Meaning

Scottish and northern Irish: habitational name from any of various places in southwestern Scotland, in particular Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, named with Gaelic barr ‘height’, ‘hill’ or a British cognate of this. English: topographic name for someone who lived by a gateway or barrier, from Middle English, Old French barre ‘bar’, ‘obstruction’. English (of Norman origin): habitational name from any of various places in northern France called Barre. See Barre. English: habitational name from any of various places in England called Barr, for example Great Barr in the West Midlands, named with the Celtic element barro ‘height’, ‘hill’. English: from the vocabulary word barr ‘bar’, ‘pole’, either a metonymic occupational name for a maker of bars, or perhaps a nickname for a tall, thin man. Irish: from Ó Bairr, Donegal form of Ó Báire (see Barry 2).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Barre, Bard, Barrs, Barra, Burr, Marr, Bara, Baer, Bark, Parr

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Barr Family Origin

Where is the Barr family from?

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You can see how Barr families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Barr family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Barr families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 840 Barr families living in Ontario. This was about 65% of all the recorded Barr's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Barr families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Barr surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Barr

Barr Family Occupations

What did your Barr ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Barr occupation in Canada was Farmer. 40% of Barr's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Barr family was Carpenter. Farmer, School and Laborer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Barr.

View Census data for Barr | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    40%

  • School

    5%

  • Laborer

    3%

  • Carpenter

    3%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Barr ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Barr Historical Records

What Barr family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 354,000 census records available for the last name Barr. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Barr census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Barr

Passenger List

There are 170,000 immigration records available for the last name Barr. 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 Barr immigration records

Draft Card

There are 56,000 military records available for the last name Barr. For the veterans among your Barr ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Barr military records

You've only scratched the surface of Barr family history.

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Barr Life Expectancy

What is the average Barr lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Barr life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Barr in 1940 was 29, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Barr

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Barr 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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