Surname Berra - Meaning and Origin
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Berra: What does the surname Berra mean?
The last name Berra is of Italian origin and is believed to derive from the place name Berera or the term 'bererista', which is Italian occupational name for a barrel maker. Bererista itself is derived from the Italian word 'berera' which in turn is from the Latin word 'barrum' meaning 'barrel'.
The Berra surname is first recorded in the Trivigliano region of Italy. Records of this period indicate that names such as Baldo and Alessio Berra were prosperous landowners. As the Berra family emigrated to various parts of Europe, their name gradually evolved into various spellings. Some of these spellings include Barra, Berri, Barrel, Barolo, Barral etc.
In English, the surname Berra is sometimes spelled as Berry, Berrey, and Barray among other variations. In some cases, this last name was adopted as a reference to a local Berra family tree.
The Berra surname is also an important part of sports history. One of the more famous members of the Berra family is the baseball legend Yogi Berra, who played in the MLB for 19 years with the New York Yankees and later managed the New York Mets.
Today, the Berra surname is still seen occasionally in Italy, but it is not as common as it once was. It is also found in other parts of Europe, and throughout the world in countries that were previously part of the British Empire such as Canada and Australia. Some notable people with this surname include actress Ann Berra, journalist Christian Berra, and businesswoman Bianca Berra.
Order DNA origin analysisBerra: Where does the name Berra come from?
The last name Berra is most commonly found in Italy, where it is primarily an Italian surname. It is also found in parts of France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, including Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil, although it is fairly rare in these regions. Outside of Europe, the surname is most common in the United States, where it is primarily of Italian descent. Berra was one of the most common surnames in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Italian immigrants began to settle in the country. Many of these immigrants eventually moved to northern cities such as New York, Boston, and Chicago, where the last name has since been concentrated. The surname remains relatively common in these cities, as well as areas of the Midwest, the South, and the West Coast that have had high immigration rates from Italy. It is therefore fair to say that the last name Berra is still fairly common today in the United States.
Variations of the surname Berra
The surname Berra is derived from a German given name Berengar, which is potentially of Germanic origin. Variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for the surname Berra include Berenger, Birra, Berenguer, Berre, Berengue, Berenguer, Berengario, Berengar, Berengario, Berenguejo, Berengari, Berenguel, Berrè, Berenguero, and Beringer.
Berengar is a combination of two Germanic words: ‘bir’, meaning ‘bear’, and ‘gêr’, meaning ‘spear’. It has been suggested that the name was likely given to the progenitor of Berra families as an occupational name, referring to someone who fought with a spear. It is likely that the surname began as a form of the given name Berengar as surnames began to be used across Europe in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Forms of the given name Berengar became so intimately related to the surname that they eventually blended together.
The original surname Berra has diversified into various forms over the centuries. Spelling variations of the name include Berre, Berra, Berrey, Berreye and Berray. Surnames developed as a result of the strong cultural influence of the Germanic language across Europe. The other variants Berenger, Birra, Berenguel, Berrè, Berenguer, Berengue, Berengario, Berengar, Berengario, Berenguejo, Berengari, and Beringer are also of Germanic origin. They all sprang from the medieval given name Berenger and are likely to be related to the original Berra family.
Famous people with the name Berra
- Yogi Berra: Born Lawrence Peter Berra in 1925, he was not only a Hall of Fame major league baseball catcher and manager but also an author and actor. He began his sports career with the New York Yankees and was later traded to the New York Mets and Houston Astros. He won ten World Series championships and was named an All-Star 18 times.
- Dale Berra: Born in 1956, he was the son of Yogi Berra and followed in his father’s footsteps as a major league baseball infielder. Dale’s tenure with the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros was from 1977 to 1987.
- Tim Berra: An evolutionary biologist and scientist, he was born in 1933. Tim is known for his research in freshwater fishes and his textbook "Evolution and the Myth of Creationism".
- Carmen Berra: A professional tennis coach, she is the wife of Yogi Berra and the mother of their sons. Carmen is a member of the Yogi Berra museum Board of Directors.
- Timmy Berra: Yogi Berra's grandson, he was born in 1985 and is a major league baseball player. Timmy played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009 and the San Francisco Giants in 2011.
- Barry Berra: Born in 1957, he is the son of Yogi Berra and the brother of Dale. He played two seasons (1979-1980) for the San Francisco Giants.
- Kayte Berra: Born in 1988, she is the daughter of Dale and the granddaughter of Yogi Berra. Kayte is a former professional softball player who attended the University of Albany and made the All-Youth Investigative team in 2005.