[Surname] Re: Barrow
in reply to a message by Lepic
Each of these locations has a different early form - Barvae (Barrow on Humber), Barevve (Barrow-on Trent), Baro (Barrow, Suffolk), Barhow (Barrow on Soar), Berwe (Barrow in Somerset), but they all seem to be inflections of OE Bearo/Bæro, dat. Bearwe, Bærwe grove, orchard, wood. The modern form is the dative case (used when saying "in Barrow", "from Barrow", "to Barrow" etc.)