Surname Barnewall - Meaning and Origin
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Barnewall: What does the surname Barnewall mean?
The surname Barnewall is of Anglo-Irish origin and has a number of possible meanings, depending on the part of Ireland from which an individual family originated.
In some cases, it is an anglicised version of the English surname Barneville, coming from the Norman French name, de Barneville. This was a habitational name derived from a place in the Calvados region of Normandy called Barneville-sur-Mer.
In other cases, it could have derived from the Irish surname Ó Beannúall, which is derived from the personal name Beannúall, which means ‘little, white boar’.
Alternatively, there is a suggestion the name Barnewall has evolved from the Anglo-Norman Barnards. This was a nickname from the Old French ‘bernart’, meaning ‘strong as a bear’ or ‘brave as a bear’.
Finally, the Barnewall surname may have derived from two other possible sources. One from the Dutch personal name ‘Barnaul’, which was found in parts of The Netherlands in the 16th century, or from a Northamptonshire place-name of the same spelling, which existed in the Domesday Book of 1086 AD.
Whichever origin is responsible for the Barnewall surname, the name was eventually replaced in later censuses by the pronounced variant of Barnwell.
Order DNA origin analysisBarnewall: Where does the name Barnewall come from?
The last name Barnewall is most common today in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name Ó bearna Bhaoil, which is composed of three elements: the Irish word for ‘gap’ or ‘opening’ (bearna); the Old Irish word for ‘wall’ (bhaoil); and the particle ‘O’ which indicates a family or patrilineal origin.
The Irish family of the name Barnewall takes its origin from the Boarman sept of county Meath. Barnewall is derived from the Gaelic words, ‘orbar’ (an opening or boundary) and ‘ball’ (a wall). This held the original meaning of ‘walls around an opening’, and was likely used for either a boundary fortification or a siginficant walled dwelling.
The name is today scattered through much of Ireland and England. Barnewall families are to be found in the Midlands of Ireland, in counties Meath and Longford in particular. There is also a scattering of families in various parts of the United Kingdom, particularly Great Britain.
Notably, the Barnewalls were prominent members of the Ancient aristocratic Fitzwilliam family. A branch of the family took the surname Parsons-Barnewall and were connected to Petersham Park in Surrey, England.
The Barnewall family also made their mark in history. The illustrious Lady Anne Barnewall was a political figure in early sixteenth-century Ireland. She was the leader of the Irish Barons and was a committed partizan of Catholicism against the English Protestant reformation.
Today, the Barnewall name is still carried with distinction. The Barnewall family crest, which incorporates the wall motif of their Gaelic origin, is still used by members of this famous Irish family.
Variations of the surname Barnewall
The Barnewall surname is of Norman origin, and is occasionally found in North America. Variants of the surname include Barnwell, Burnett, Bernevol, Barnewell, Bernewall, Bernoulli, Barnouw, and Barnoville. The name Barnewall is derived from the Olde French ‘bern’, meaning ‘stronghold’, and ‘val’, meaning ‘valley’. The first recorded spelling of the surname was shown to be that of Bartholemew Barnewall, which was dated 1273, in the ‘Court Rolls of Norfolk’. Early bearers of the surname would have likely lived near or in a fortified valley.
It is believed that the Barnewall surname may also be a variant of the name Barnwall, which is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a variation of the Baron name. This version of the surname is found more commonly in the United Kingdom, especially in London and Hampshire. This surname dates back to the 11th century, when the lands of Barnwall were held by William of Warenne.
Due to varying spellings of surnames throughout history, other variants of the Barnewall surname include Barnewald, Barneval, Bernawald, Beernewald, Barnevale, Barnewalt, Bermanwalt, B'Mont, Bearnwald, Bernevall and Berenwalt.
The surname Barnewall was amongst the most common in all of Ireland in the 17th century. By the 19th century, it had spread from Ireland to the United States, and now it is the most common surname in the United States with an Irish heritage.
Famous people with the name Barnewall
- Arthur Barnewall: An Irish Lord Justices of the Irish Court of King's Bench from 1641–1645.
- Major-General Robert Barnewall: He was a major general in the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War.
- Richard Barnewall (1475–1537): An early English politician and lawyer, who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1511 to 1537.
- Lieutenant (now Captain) William Barnewall: A lieutenant in the British army and a recipient of the Victoria Cross in 1879.
- Henry Barnewall (1473–1513): An English prelate, Bishop of Meath in the early 16th century.
- Sir Christopher Barnewall: An Irish landowner and politician who was active in the mid-1500s.
- Neal Barnewall: An American actor and musician who is best known for his role on the hit television show, The Flash.
- Joan Barnewall: A Rhodesian air force pilot and the first female air force officer in Africa.
- Sir Patrick Barnewall: An English judge and politician in the late 16th century and early 17th century.
- Henry Barnewall (died 1605): An English politician and lawyer who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.