Explore the Family Name Barbour
The meaning of Barbour
Scottish and northern Irish: occupational name from Old French barbeor ‘barber’. Compare the English form Barber. History: George Barbour sailed from England on the Transport in 1635. He became a freeman of Dedham, MA, in 1647 and settled eventually at Medfield. A Scottish merchant named Barbour settled in eastern VA in the latter half of the 17th century.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Barbour in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Barbour saw a slight increase in its count from 2000 to 2010, rising by 1.85% to reach 14,451. However, despite the rise in the number of people bearing this name, its rank fell from 2,338 in 2000 to 2,504 in 2010, marking a drop of 7.1%. This indicates that while there are more individuals with this last name, it has become slightly less common compared to other surnames. The proportion of Barbours per 100,000 people also decreased by 6.84%, going down to 4.9 from 5.26.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,338 | #2,504 | -7.1% |
| Count | 14,188 | 14,451 | 1.85% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.26 | 4.9 | -6.84% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Barbour
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Barbour has seen some changes between 2000 and 2010, as shown by the Decennial U.S. Census data. While the percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander remained steady at 0.42%, those identifying as two or more races saw an increase of 26.67%. In contrast, the percentage of people identifying as White decreased by 3.43%, though it still remained the dominant ethnicity at 72.65%. There was a considerable increase in the Hispanic population, which rose by 46.41%, and the Black population also grew by 6.25%. Finally, individuals identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native increased by 28.95%, albeit representing a small portion of the total.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 75.23% | 72.65% | -3.43% |
| Black | 20.64% | 21.93% | 6.25% |
| Two or More Races | 1.8% | 2.28% | 26.67% |
| Hispanic | 1.53% | 2.24% | 46.41% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.38% | 0.49% | 28.95% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.42% | 0.42% | 0% |
Barbour ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Barbour is British & Irish, which comprises 56.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (19.5%) and Eastern European (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Nigerian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 56.2% |
| French & German | 19.5% |
| Eastern European | 3.7% |
| Other | 20.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Barbour
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Barbour have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.10% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
What Barbour haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Barbour is R-L165, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L165 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and I-Z58, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Barber, Lowe, Herbert, White, Norman, Swan, Shaw, Giles, Thompson, Smith.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Barbour surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Barbour have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Barbour" Surname 45.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Barbour" Surname 28.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Barbour" Surname 22.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Barbour" Surname 21.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Barbour?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Barbour are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition