The given name Barry is derived from Gaelic,[1] possibly being an Anglicised form of the personal nameBáire, which is a short form of the related Irish names Bairrfhionn[2] or Barrfind ("fair-headed", "fair-haired"),[3] and Finbar or Fionnbharr ("fair-topped", "fair-haired").[4]
For example, Barry is sometimes derived from the Irish Bairre, Barra, and Barre, which are in turn forms of the name Barrfind.[5] Furthermore, Barry is sometimes an Anglicised form of the Irish Finnbarr, which also has short forms of Bairre, Barra, and Barre.[6] Similarly, Barry is sometimes an Anglicised form of the latter short form Barra.[7] In other cases, Barry is an Anglicised form of the Irish Berach ("pointed", "spear", "sharp").[8]
Since the twentieth century, the name has become very popular in Australia. A variant form of the given name is Barrie. In the Netherlands the form Berry is also used. Pet forms of the name are Baz and Bazza.[9]
As a given name, Barry is currently less common than it once was. It rose in popularity in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s, and was in the top 100 names through the 1970s. In recent years, the name has not even made the US top 1000 list of names (the last time was in 2004, when it ranked 963). Barry's highest rank was 61, which was achieved in 1962.[10]
US President Barack Obama was called by the nickname Barry when younger, which he eventually halted.[11]
In some cases, the surname Barry is an Anglicised form of the Irish Ó Beargha, meaning "descendant of Beargh". The bynameBeargh means "plunderer" or "spear-like". In other cases Barry is an Anglicisation of the Irish Ó Báire, meaning "descendant of Báire".[4] Alternatively, Barry is a patronymic form of the personal name Henry.[2] In such cases, the name is partly derived from the Welshap Harry, as is the case of the similar surnameParry.[12] In other cases, the surname Barry is derived from a place name, sometimes seemingly of Continental origin,[13] and sometimes from a British place name, such as Barry, Angus in Scotland.[14]
The surname Barry, when originating in Ireland, is chiefly derived from the Cambro-Norman family of de Barry (from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan), who were prominent in the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ireland.[15] In Irish, this family's name is rendered de Barra. In Ireland, the surname Barry occurs most commonly in Munster and south Leinster. The concentrations of the surname in County Limerick could correspond with the Ó Beargha origin of the name, while the concentration of the surname in West Cork could correspond with the Ó Báire origin.[16]
There is a surname Barry, variant form of the rarer Barri, typical of the south of France, that means "rampart, city wall" and by extension "suburb", that is to say "somebody from the suburb or living near the rampart". Variant forms include Delbarry and Dubarry.[17]
As of 2014, 59.3% of all known bearers of the surname Barry were residents of Guinea (frequency 1:17), 14.7% of Burkina Faso (1:104), 5.4% of the United States (1:5,629), 4.5% of Senegal (1:274), 3.7% of Mali (1:384), 1.2% of England (1:3,951), 1.1% of Ireland (1:362) and 1.0% of Australia (1:2,004).[19]
↑ Kelly, Maura (27 July 2011). "Does Dominique Strauss-Kahn's accuser, Nafissatou Diallo, have the most common surname in Guinea?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 22 July 2021. ...almost all Fulbe have one of four family names: Diallo, also spelled Jalloh; Barry; Balde, also spelled Bah; and Sow. (Diallo is not any more popular than the other three names.) About two-fifths of all Guineans are Fulbe, and they live in smaller concentrations in other countries throughout West Africa, with significant clusters in Senegal and Mali...
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