BARR Origin of surname
BARR, BAR
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a Hebrew acronym (a name created from the initial letters of a Hebrew phrase, and which refers to a relative, lineage or occupation). For example, between 1787 and the 1830s, authorities in central and Eastern Europe began to force Jewish families to adopt fixed hereditary family names. Many Jews then formed European-sounding family names that were in fact Hebrew acronyms. The use of acronymics is an old Jewish custom. Famous rabbis and sages such as Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) and Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, known as Maimonides) were generally referred to by acronyms based on their Hebrew titles and names.
The surname Bar is an acronym for 'Ben Reuven' ("son of Reuven"), or for 'Bnei Rabbanim' ("son of rabbis"). In some cases, Bar is a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives. This surname is associated with the town of Bar in Ukraine (which was so called because it was the property of Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland in the 16th century, who came from the Italian town of Bari).
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a Hebrew acronym (a name created from the initial letters of a Hebrew phrase, and which refers to a relative, lineage or occupation). For example, between 1787 and the 1830s, authorities in central and Eastern Europe began to force Jewish families to adopt fixed hereditary family names. Many Jews then formed European-sounding family names that were in fact Hebrew acronyms. The use of acronymics is an old Jewish custom. Famous rabbis and sages such as Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) and Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, known as Maimonides) were generally referred to by acronyms based on their Hebrew titles and names.
The surname Bar is an acronym for 'Ben Reuven' ("son of Reuven"), or for 'Bnei Rabbanim' ("son of rabbis"). In some cases, Bar is a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives. This surname is associated with the town of Bar in Ukraine (which was so called because it was the property of Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland in the 16th century, who came from the Italian town of Bari).