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Barra Family History

Barra Surname Meaning

Italian (southern) Spanish and Portuguese: topographic name from barra ‘bar rod’ (in the sense of ‘barrier sandbank’) or a habitational name from any of the places called with this word.

French (southern): dialect variant of Barre French: variant of Bara 4 and in North America (also) an altered form of this.

Altered form of French Barras Hungarian: from the personal name Barna a short form of Barnabás Hungarian equivalent of Barnaby.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Barra family from?

You can see how Barra families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Barra family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Barra families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 3 Barra families living in Sussex. This was about 27% of all the recorded Barra's in United Kingdom. Sussex had the highest population of Barra families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Barra surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Barra ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Clerk were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Barra. 32% of Barra men worked as a Laborer and 15% of Barra women worked as a Clerk. Some less common occupations for Americans named Barra were Salesman and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Barra | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    32%
  • Farmer
    7%
  • Coal Miner
    5%
  • Salesman
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Clerk
    15%
  • Bookkeeper
    12%
  • Teacher
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    12%

What Barra family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Barra. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Barra census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Barra

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Barra. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Barra immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Barra. For the veterans among your Barra ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Barra military records

You've only scratched the surface of Barra family history

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What is the average Barra lifespan?

Between 1951 and 2004, in the United States, Barra life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1993. The average life expectancy for Barra in 1951 was 58, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Barra

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Barra ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Barra family tree

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