The Barlow surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 33,335 people carried this name — #1,047 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,850 people counted. That is up 8% from 30,749 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Barlow surname

A habitational surname from Old English originating from one of these villages.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Barlow» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Barlow’.

An early record he cites: Johannes de Berlowe, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 79 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 7 births for the Barlow name in 1890.

Most were registered in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 4
Leinster 3

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 42 people named Barlow.

Most of them — 33 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Indre-et-Loire.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 33
Indre-et-Loire 3
Haut-Rhin 2
Seine-Maritime 2
Eure-et-Loir 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

31 people named Barlow live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 15
Geneva 5
Vaud 5
Solothurn 3
Schwyz 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

53 people named Barlow are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 30
Finland (2026) 23

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Barlow was found among the farmers of 5 counties.

It was most frequent in Cheshire: 46 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 217. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cheshire 46
Nottinghamshire 40
Lancashire 25
Huntingdonshire 14
Staffordshire 10

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Barlow was recorded 21 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1107th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 16. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

113 families named Barlow, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 674 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 30
Massachusetts 22
Connecticut 16
North Carolina 13
New York 11
Vermont 10
Pennsylvania 5
South Carolina 3
Maryland 2
New Hampshire 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 228 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Barlow in American newspapers,
1813–1869.

Newspaper page from The New Orleans Crescent carrying the name Barlow
The New Orleans Crescent 1869-02-07
Newspaper page from Constitutionalist And Weekly Magazine carrying the name Barlow
Constitutionalist And Weekly Magazine 1813-07-27
Newspaper page from Constitutionalist And Weekly Magazine carrying the name Barlow
Constitutionalist And Weekly Magazine 1813-08-31

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 5,809 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Barlow in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

108,227 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Barlow. The most, 18,702, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 37,484
New South Wales 31,268
Victoria 17,695
South Australia 13,838
Western Australia 3,859
Tasmania 3,205
ACT (Canberra) 650
Northern Territory 102

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Barlow.

Who carried it

People named Barlow,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Nigel Barlow d. 2003 · scientist
  • Alexander Barlow d. 1584 · politician
  • Lewis Barlow d. 1737 · politician
  • John Barlow d. 1718 · politician
  • Hugh Barlow d. 1763 · politician
  • Douglas Barlow d. 1998 · lawyer

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Barlow,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,110 records

3,110 records of the Barlow name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 964
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 603
  • Other U.S. records 1,543
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ottis Barlow

    Born 1922 in Georgia. Enlisted 1942 at Fort McPherson Atlanta; farmer from Dodge County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Middle Ground Cemetery, Chester, Georgia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Nathaniel C. Barlow

    Born 1909 in Louisiana. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; auto mechanic from Queens County, New York. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1960, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Adelaide Barlow

    Arrived at New York in 1836 aboard the Sophie from Bremen, aged 18; servant. From Hanover, Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 3,110 records for Barlow in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,161 records

2,161 records of the Barlow name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,151
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 321
  • Other Australian records 689
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Marion Eliza Barlow

    Born 1871 in George Town, Tasmania. Married 1891 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 19.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Margaret Barlow

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Midas, arriving 1825; ticket of leave 1832. Native of Wicklow.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Kate Barlow

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Walmer Castle, aged 40; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,161 records for Barlow in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada153 records

153 records of the Barlow name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 50
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 36
  • Other Canadian records 67
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ed Barlow

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Mississippi, landing at Quebec, bound for St. Catharines, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Keith Alfred Barlow

    Buried in 1980 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 45.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ruth Francis Barlow

    Buried in 1998 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 74.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 153 records for Barlow in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom141 records

141 records of the Barlow name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 106
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 14
  • Other British records 21
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie McIntyre Barlow

    Buried in 1933 at Callander Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 68.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Stephen John Barlow

    Will proved in 1939; of RhosOn-Sea, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Barlow

    Land Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 141 records for Barlow in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand34 records

34 records of the Barlow name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 24
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 6
  • Other New Zealand records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Winifred Barrie Henry Barlow

    Died 2000, aged 90; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ann Barlow

    Died 1909, aged 94; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Henry Allen Barlow

    Buried in 1953 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 61.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 34 records for Barlow in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France12 records

12 records of the Barlow name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Robin Alan Barlow

    Born 1942 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Suzanne Odette Eleonore Barlow

    Born 1892 in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime); died 1984 in Tullins (Isère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 12 records for Barlow in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands10 records

10 records of the Barlow name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 7
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Adèle Fannij Barlow

    In the population register of Liverpool; teacher, born 1834 in Liverpool.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joseph Barlow

    Died 1823 in Rotterdam, aged 32.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 10 records for Barlow in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Ireland2 records

2 records of the Barlow name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Delia A. Barlow

    Died 1951, aged 59; buried at Killererin (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Barlow in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Barlow name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Arnold Barlow

    From Altmühl, Naugard. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 1 February 1919 (Infantry Regiment No. 54).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Barlow.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Barlow is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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