Origins of the Barnes surname

What does the name Barnes mean?

There are two major hypothesised origins of the Barnes surname, thought to be English and Scottish. Firstly, Barnes is a locational surname, relating to people from one of the number of places named 'Barnes' or 'Bearn'. The surname Barnes can also be topographical, given to someone who lives at or near a barn and their descendants.

Alternative variations of the name Barnes

Barnes, Barns, Barnis, Barness, Bairnes

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Delve deeper into the Barnes family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 1089North West 1163Isle of Man 28Yorkshire 2619East Midlands 1134West Midlands 1202East 1826London 9064South East 3772South West 1139South Wales 493Mid Wales 44West Wales 6North Wales 83Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Barneses lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

52,000 Barnes Travel & migration records
360,000 Barneses found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Barnes

How common is your surname?

85th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Barnes surname. The oldest one dates back to 1220.

Who were Barneses most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Barneses.

What are the most common Barnes first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Barnes family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Barneses

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Commmon female occupations for Barneses in 1921

Cotton Weaver

1,743

Dressmaker

1,545

Laundress

984

Domestic Servant

866

General Servant Domestic

857

Commmon male occupations for Barneses in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

1,674

General Labourer

1,344

Carpenter

1,098

Farm Labourer

1,097

Coal Miner

1,013

We found over 450,000 family trees with the Barnes surname

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