Category: Barry Name Study
Categories: One Name Studies | DNA Projects
For more in depth information go to the Barry Name and DNA Study page.
The Irish Barry surname is most commonly considered to be of Anglo-Norman origin. Among the Norman invaders who accompanied William the Conqueror was a nobleman who was granted estates in Wales for his service. These included Barri Island in Glamorgan. According to English-language sources, Barri Island, was named after the 6thcentury Welsh saint, Baruc and the Barry surname is derived from this location. But more recent, Continental European, sources indicate that the family name originated from the village of Barri, near Tournai in Flanders, the ancestral home of the Barrys who later came to England, Wales and Ireland. In the 12thcentury, descendants of this man, who were by then known by the surname deBarri, participated in the Norman-Welsh invasion of Ireland. The family name was Anglicized to Barry and initially was associated primarily with County Cork where several branches developed. The best known of these were the Barry Mor (Great or Elder Barry)and Barry Roe (Red Barry), which were closely interrelated, and the Barry Og (Younger Barry). In later centuries this Barry family dispersed throughout Ireland and its members can be found today in every county, as well as in North America, England, Australia, New Zealand and in every location of the Irish Diaspora.
Other members of the Anglo-Norman family had variations on their names such as Barry Bhán/Barrivane (White Barry) and Barry Laidir (Strong Barry). There were also compound names including the MacRobinson/MacRobston Barrys, the Mac James (FitzJames Barrys), the MacAdam Barrys and the Smith Barrys.
Some descendants of the Anglo-Norman Barrys fled to France in the 15th century, adopting the surname DuBarry. There are also men who trace their origins directly to the family's putative place of origin in Flanders. Some of these men use the surname deBary or its variants. That name is found in many places in Northern Europe as well as in America. Other Barrys are native Irish, rather than Anglo-Norman in origin, having descended from O’Beara or O’Bearagh families. In addition, some Barry families changed their name to Berry for various reasons.
More information on the origin of the Barry name can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_(name). (Also a listing of Barry surnames that are on wikipedia.org.)
Note: It has been suggested that if you want to see all the Barry's on this study in one place, on one page (using WikiTree +), try going here: Names in one place
Also Just a reminder: Before you get to much further you may want to consider going back and adding sources to any of your newly created "Barry" profiles, if you haven't done so already. That way others can connect to your Barry profiles and it will make this study more successful!! A source is where you obtained the information you've provided on a profile. Sources are critically important for genealogy. You will be helping future genealogists by listing where the information you've added came from. This page describes several kinds of sources: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sources
Person Profiles (805)
This page was last modified 08:16, 16 February 2023. This page has been accessed 6,917 times.