BARNES Name Meaning and Origin

The common Barnes surname is often of topographical origin, deriving from the Middle English barn, for "barn" or "granary," and meaning "of the barn" (barley house). The use of the name was generally associated with a significant barn in the local region. Barnes may also be an occupational surname for someone who worked in a barn.

An alternative origin for the Barnes last name may be suggested by the parish of Barnes in Aberdeenshire, Scotland which derives its name from the Gaelic word bearn, meaning "gap."

Barnes was the 101st most common last name in the United States at the time of the 2000 U.S. census.

Surname Origin: English, Scottish

Alternate Surname Spellings: BARNS, BERNES

Famous People with the Surname BARNES:

• Jim Barnes - English golfer and first winner of the PGA championship
• Brenda Barnes - Former president of PepsiCo North America

Genealogy Resources for the Surname BARNES:

100 Most Common U.S. Surnames & Their Meanings
Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?

The Barnes Family Yearbook
An annual publication "issued under the authority of the Barnes Family Association." Several volumes are available for free viewing from this digital archive of genealogical information.

Barnes DNA Surname Project
Larry Bowling heads up this DNA project through FamilyTreeDNA with a goal of sorting out various lines of Barnes ancestors from around the world.

Barnes Family Genealogy Forum
Search this popular genealogy forum for the Barnes surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or ask your own question about your Barnes ancestors.

FamilySearch - BARNES Genealogy
Find records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Barnes surname and its variations.

BARNES Surname & Family Mailing Lists
RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Barnes surname.

DistantCousin.com - BARNES Genealogy & Family History
Free databases and genealogy links for the last name Barnes.

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References: Surname Meanings & Origins

Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.

Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.

Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.

Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.

Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

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