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Where would the origin for my best friend's last name come from? (Name pronounced "Bear-oh")
RandomPerson1234 :D
RandomPerson1234 :D
This message was edited 11/12/2020, 7:45 AM
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It's from Barrow, the name of several places in England as you can see at tinyurl.com/y8covbll.
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Each of these locations has a different early form - Barvae (Barrow on Humber), Barevve (Barrow-on Trent), Baro (Barrow, Suffolk), Barhow (Barrow on Soar), Berwe (Barrow in Somerset), but they all seem to be inflections of OE Bearo/Bæro, dat. Bearwe, Bærwe grove, orchard, wood. The modern form is the dative case (used when saying "in Barrow", "from Barrow", "to Barrow" etc.)
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