Barsky Family History

Ukrainian and Jewish (from Ukraine): habitational name for someone from the city of Bar, now in Ukraine. In the 16th century, this was an important frontier fortress of the Polish Empire against the Turks and the Tartars, which in the 18th century became the center of a confederation.

Its original name was Rów; it was given its present name in honor of the Italian city of Bari by Bona Sforza, Duchess of Bari, wife of King Zygmunt Stary (Sigismund the Old).

Altered form of Polish Barski, a cognate of 1 above.