Barreras
A Spanish surname most likely tied to a place name or to the idea of a barrier or fence.
The #9,313 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 88,314 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Barreras is a Spanish surname that probably comes from barrera, meaning a barrier, fence, or enclosure. In surname use, it may have begun as a locational name for someone living near a barrier or a place called Barrera/Barreras, rather than as a direct nickname. The base word is ultimately from Latin barra, "bar, barrier."
History
The surname is found in Spanish-speaking regions and also appears in Hispanic communities in the Americas. The available historical excerpt only lists Barreras alongside other surnames, so it does not give a specific derivation for this name. As with many Spanish surnames, it may have multiple local origins in different families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Barreras is the plural form of barrera, so the surname can sound like a place name even when it began as a simple topographic label.
From the historical record
“Barcia, Barcones, Bardon, Barinaga, Baro, Baroja, Barzanallana, Barra, Barrachina, Barrantes, Bar- reda, Barreiro, Barrera (La), Barreras, Barrientos, Barriga, Barrio-nuevo, Barron, Barros, Barroso!, Bas, Basaba, Bascuas, Bascuñana, Bastus, Bataller, Bayarri, Bayer, Bayo, Bayona, Becerril, Bedia, Bed- mar. Bedoya…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos