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Irish surname

Barron: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Barún; Ó Bearáin · Barún: Middle English 'barun', i.e., the baron; Ó Bearáin: 'descendant of Bearán' (stripling, diminutive of bear, a spear, spit, javelin)

Woulfe (1923) prints Barron in two separate entries: Barún, from the Middle English 'barun', the baron, with a Barron family of Kilkenny, Tipperary and Waterford; and Ó Bearáin, 'descendant of Bearán', an old surname in Thomond and Tyrconnell. In 1890 Matheson counted 43 Barron birth entries in Ireland including spelling varieties.

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Coat of arms associated with the Barron surname
Irish formBarún; Ó Bearáin
MeaningBarún: Middle English 'barun', i.e., the baron; Ó Bearáin: 'descendant of Bearán' (stripling, diminutive of bear, a spear, spit, javelin)
CountiesKilkenny, Tipperary and Waterford, Thomond and Tyrconnell, Antrim, Donegal, Wexford and Waterford
Other spellings2

Origin of the Barron name

Woulfe (Barún): Middle English 'barun', 'either a real baron, or one who put on the airs of a baron'; a branch of the Fitzgeralds, barons of Burnchurch, Co. Kilkenny, 'assumed the surname of Barron'. Woulfe (Ó Bearáin): 'an old surname in Thomond and Tyrconnell'.[1][2]

  1. 1226Woulfe: Robert Barun is a member of the Dublin Guild-Merchant.[1]
  2. 189043 Barron birth entries in Ireland including spelling varieties (41 spelled Barron): Leinster 12, Munster 11, Ulster 20.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. Kilkenny, Tipperary and WaterfordWoulfe (Barún): the Barron family was 'highly respectable' in these counties.[1]
Co. Thomond and TyrconnellWoulfe (Ó Bearáin): an old surname there.[2]
Co. Antrim, Donegal, Wexford and WaterfordMatheson 1890: counties in which Barron was principally found.[3]

Other spellings

Baron · Berrane[1]

The Barron coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Barron surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Barron crest gifts

Clan Barron Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapDC83 Classic Cap - Barron Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Barron Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap$42.45

Barron surname: questions

What does the surname Barron mean?

Woulfe prints Barron under two entries. Under Barún he gives the Middle English 'barun', the baron, 'either a real baron, or one who put on the airs of a baron'; under Ó Bearáin he gives 'descendant of Bearán' (stripling, diminutive of bear, a spear).[1][2]

Is Barron an Irish name?

Woulfe lists Barron under both Barún, a Middle English form with a family in Kilkenny, Tipperary and Waterford, and Ó Bearáin, 'an old surname in Thomond and Tyrconnell'. He does not say which applies to any individual Barron.[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Barron name found?

Woulfe names Kilkenny, Tipperary and Waterford for the Barún family, and Thomond and Tyrconnell for Ó Bearáin. Matheson's 1890 births index lists Antrim, Donegal, Wexford and Waterford as the counties in which it was principally found.[1][2][3]

How did the Fitzgerald branch become Barron?

Woulfe says a branch of the Fitzgeralds who were barons of Burnchurch, Co. Kilkenny, assumed the surname of Barron.[1]

Sources

  1. Barún — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), transcribed), LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/b/barun.php
  2. Ó Bearáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), transcribed), LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/ob/o-bearain.php
  3. Barron — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/barron.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).