# Barrow (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/barrow/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 16,801 |
| US rank (2010) | 2,159 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 18,377 people |
| Change since 2000 | +10% (15,277 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbæɹoʊ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

English surname, from placenames derived from Old English bearu (“grove”). The place in Furness is of Celtic origin, from *barros (“promontory, peak”) + Old Norse ey (“island”). The place in Alaska, now known as Utqiagvik, was named after nearby Point Barrow (Nuvuk). In 1826, Point Barrow was named after Sir John Barrow, a British geographer.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Barrow in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 67% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 27% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Barrow in the United States, Barbados, the United Kingdom, The Gambia, Belgium and Belize.

## People named Barrow

- Adama Barrow, 3rd President of the Gambia
- Errol Barrow, Barbadian politician (1920-1987)
- Daniel Barrow, American rower
- Nita Barrow, BGovernor-General of Barbados
- John Barrow, American politician (born 1955)
- Sarah Barrow, British diver
- Bernard Barrow, American actor (1927-1993)
- Arthur Barrow, American musician
- Alexander Barrow, American politician (1801–1846)
- Pope Barrow, American politician (1839-1903)
- Typh Barrow, Belgian singer-songwriter and pianist
- Tim Barrow, British diplomat

and 1 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Barry, Barr, Burrow, Bare, Barrie, Barra, Barre, Bara, Brow, Bari, Baro, Barro.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.