Barrow
Where would the origin for my best friend's last name come from? (Name pronounced "Bear-oh")RandomPerson1234 :D

This message was edited 11/12/2020, 7:45 AM

vote up1vote down

Replies

It's from Barrow, the name of several places in England as you can see at tinyurl.com/y8covbll.
vote up1vote down
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.)
vote up1vote down