The Barrow surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 16,801 people carried this name — #2,159 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 17,500 people counted. That is up 10% from 15,277 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Barrow surname

English surname, from placenames derived from Old English bearu (“grove”). The place in Furness is of Celtic origin, from *barros (“promontory, peak”) + Old Norse ey (“island”). In 1826, Point Barrow was named after Sir John Barrow, a British geographer.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Barrow» (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 the barrow’.

An early record he cites: Richard de Barewe, Suffolk, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Barrow and Barrows.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 81 · public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

55 people named Barrow live in Switzerland.

They live in 8 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
Vaud 8
Bern 7
Geneva 7
St. Gallen 6
Thurgau 5
Basel-Stadt 4
Jura 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

134 people named Barrow 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) 97
Finland (2026) 37

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

Barrow was found among the farmers of 6 counties.

It was most frequent in Sussex: 32 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 313. 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

Sussex 32
Devon 23
Somerset 18
Wiltshire 18
Lancashire 17
Kent 15

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 print

Barrow in American newspapers,
1844–1920.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Barrow
The Birmingham Age-herald 1920-09-16
Newspaper page from The Port-gibson Correspondent carrying the name Barrow
The Port-gibson Correspondent 1844-07-13
Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Barrow
The Birmingham Age-herald 1912-07-28

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 9,010 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Barrow in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

31,623 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Barrow. The most, 4,753, date from the 1860s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 2.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 10,716
Victoria 9,920
New South Wales 4,996
Western Australia 2,239
Queensland 2,218
Tasmania 1,306
ACT (Canberra) 92
Northern Territory 91

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

Who carried it

People named Barrow,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Henry Barrowe
    Henry Barrowe 1550–1593 · jurist
  • William Barrow
    William Barrow 1609–1679 · missionary
  • Isaac Barrow
    Isaac Barrow 1630–1677 · physicist
  • William Barrow
    William Barrow 1754–1836 · archdeacon
  • John Barrow
    John Barrow 1764–1848 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Henry Barrowe: Ian A. Wood, CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); William Barrow: Andrewrabbott, CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 264 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Barrow,
in the records of 7 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 States1,679 records

1,679 records of the Barrow name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 523
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 352
  • Other U.S. records 804
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Michael Edward Barrow

    Born 1945; from Portland, Oregon. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Long Khanh, South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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 Norman E. Barrow

    Born 1920 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1944 at Louisville; optician from Jefferson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at St James Church, Pewee Valley, Kentucky.

    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 Mary Barrow

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 30; servant. From Rochdale, England; bound for Massachusetts.

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

Showing 3 of 1,679 records for Barrow 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) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,194 records

1,194 records of the Barrow name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 610
  • Tasmanian Names Index 205
  • Other Australian records 379
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Bridget Barrow

    Died 1890 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 80. Will registered in Tasmania in 1890.

    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 Thomas Barrow

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Asia, arriving 1833; ticket of leave 1839. Native of Bristol.

    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 John Barrow

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Planter, aged 8; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,194 records for Barrow in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (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) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (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).

Canada53 records

53 records of the Barrow name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 25
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 9
  • Other Canadian records 19
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Barrow

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the C. Marshall, landing at N. Y., bound for L. Joseph, 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 Donald Forbes Barrow

    Buried in 1990 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 74.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary Ada Barrow

    Died 1926 in Truro, Colchester, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 53 records for Barrow 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. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · 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. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom39 records

39 records of the Barrow name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 30
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 5
  • Welsh wills index cards 4
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Georgina Barrow

    Will proved in 1928; of Llandudno, Caernarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Barrow

    Buried in 1845 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 35.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Barrow

    Corporal, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

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

Showing 3 of 39 records for Barrow 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). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand14 records

14 records of the Barrow name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 11
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Clifford Barrow

    Died 2000, aged 87; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Wilfred Barrow

    Born 1915, died 2000; buried at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Henry D. Barrow

    Died 1932, aged 76; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Barrow in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri 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).

Netherlands11 records

11 records of the Barrow name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 8
  • Dutch population registers 3
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Barrow

    Died 1833 in Den Helder, aged 43.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Harriet Jane Barrow

    Born 1825 in Maastricht.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Michael Francis Barrow

    In the population register of Bolton Gb; born 1882 in Bolton Gb.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Barrow in the Netherlands.

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

France3 records

3 records of the Barrow 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 Beatrice May Barrow

    Born 1923 in Great Britain; died 1996 in La Rochefoucauld (Charente).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Eric Loraine Barrow

    Born 1899 in Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques); died 1971 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Barrow 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Barrow.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Barrow 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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