What Does The Surname Barnes Mean?

The surname Barnes is of English and Scottish origin. This surname might have been derived from a significant local barn in the region. The meaning of the word barnes itself is "of the barnes or the barley house. However, there are alternative views about the origin of the surname Barnes according to which, the name must have been derived from the Parish of Barnes in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. In Scotland, the word Barnes derives its meaning from a Gaelic word "bearn" which means Gap.

In the English language this surname's meaning is believed to be occupational like that of some person who must have been working in a barn or many barns. However, it could also be derived from the Barnes who lives by the Thames River on the Surrey bank in London, thus, the name could be habitational.