Barrick
Likely means “bare ridge,” a topographic surname for someone who lived near a bleak hillside or exposed ridge.
The #6,626 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 60,408 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The best-supported explanation in the older surname literature connects Barrick with a Manx or Norse place-name element meaning “bare” plus “ridge.” The cited form is usually analyzed as Old Norse or Norse-influenced *berr* “bare” + *hryggr* “ridge,” giving the sense “bare ridge.” In practice, this is a topographic surname: it would have begun as a description of where a family lived rather than a personal nickname.
History
This interpretation appears in Manx surname scholarship, which is why the name is sometimes treated as belonging especially to the Isle of Man or nearby areas with strong Norse influence. The surname is also found in English records more widely, and later bearers may not all share the same local origin. Because the name is relatively uncommon, its early history is not as well documented as that of major English surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older Manx surname writers explicitly glossed Barrick as “bare ridge,” making it one of those surnames whose meaning is almost a miniature landscape description.
From the historical record
“There are comparatively few adjectives found in Scandio-Manx names : Berr, 'bare;' probably in Barrick (Berr-hryggr), ' Bare Ridge.' Bla (F), ' blue ;' only in the compound bld-ber, ' blea- berry or blueberry,' which is found in Awin”
— The Surnames & Place-Names of the Isle of Man