Barker Family History

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Barker Name Meaning

English: occupational name for a tanner of leather, from Middle English bark(en) ‘to tan’, tree bark having been used as the tanning agent. English: occupational name for a shepherd, Anglo-Norman French bercher (Late Latin berbicarius, from berbex ‘ram’, genitive berbicis). With the change of -ar- to -er- in Middle English, this became indistinguishable from the preceding name. Altered spelling of German Barger or Berger.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Marker, Barber, Banker, Baker, Harker, Backer, Parker, Karner, Walker

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Barker Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Barker name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Barker. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    56%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    19%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Sweden

    2%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Barker Family Origin

Where is the Barker family from?

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You can see how Barker families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Barker family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Barker families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1891 there were 10,030 Barker families living in Yorkshire. This was about 26% of all the recorded Barker's in the UK. Yorkshire had the highest population of Barker families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Barker surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Barker

Barker Family Occupations

What did your Barker ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Farmer, Agricultural Labourer and Coal Miner were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Barker. A less common occupation for the Barker family was Labourer. The most common Barker occupation in the UK was Farmer. 4% of Barker's were Farmers.

View Census data for Barker | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    4%

  • Agricultural Labourer

    4%

  • Coal Miner

    3%

  • Labourer

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Barker ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Barker Historical Records

What Barker family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Barker. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Barker census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Barker

Passenger List

There are 91,000 immigration records available for the last name Barker. 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.

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Draft Card

There are 128,000 military records available for the last name Barker. For the veterans among your Barker ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Barker military records

You've only scratched the surface of Barker family history.

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Barker Life Expectancy

What is the average Barker lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Barker life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Barker in 1942 was 22, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Barker

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Barker 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.

Famous Barker Family Ancestors

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