Explore the Family Name Barbary
The meaning of Barbary
1. French: variant of Barbarin 2, itself a diminutive of Barbare 2 and 3. Compare Barbare 1, Barbaree, and Barbrey. 2. English: from the Middle English female personal name Barbary, Barbery, Latin Barbara (from the feminine form of barbarus ‘barbarian, foreigner’). See also Barbara. 3. English: from Middle English barbarie ‘barbarian; pagan (i.e. non-Christian) foreigner’. History: Pierre Barbary (also recorded as Barbarin) dit Grandmaison, a soldier from the Périgord region of France, arrived in New France in 1665. He married Marie Lebrun in Montreal, QC, in 1668. His descendants also bear altered forms of the surname, such as Barbare, Barbaree, and Barbrey, and also the former secondary surname or dit (‘also called’) name Grandmaison.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Barbary in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Barbary has seen a decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was the 46,240th most common surname in the United States, but by 2010, it had dropped to the 57,234th position – an overall decline of nearly 24 percent. The total count of individuals with this surname also decreased from 434 in 2000 to 356 in 2010, signifying an approximate 18 percent drop. Consequently, the proportion of people named Barbary per 100,000 population declined by 25 percent during this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #46,240 | #57,234 | -23.78% |
| Count | 434 | 356 | -17.97% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.16 | 0.12 | -25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Barbary
The ethnicity distribution of the surname Barbary, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, shows that in 2010 the most common ethnic identity associated with this surname was Black at 52.53 percent, recording a slight dip from 53 percent in 2000. Meanwhile, the proportion identifying as White showed a decrease of just over four and a half percent, down from 43.55 percent in 2000 to 41.57 percent in 2010. Notably, there was a significant increase - about 130.92 percent - in those reporting two or more races between 2000 and 2010. The census data did not record any individuals with the Barbary surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 53% | 52.53% | -0.89% |
| White | 43.55% | 41.57% | -4.55% |
| Two or More Races | 2.07% | 4.78% | 130.92% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |