Barclay Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Barclay last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Barclay last name
Meaning of the Barclay last name: from Berkeley / birch lea. Barclay is a Scottish surname from Berkeley in Gloucestershire, carried north by a family that settled in Aberdeenshire and Fife. The last name is linked with the Quaker banking Barclays and with Scottish landowners. It remains familiar in Scotland, England and North America.
Arms associated with the Barclay name
Coats of arms associated with the Barclay surname follow Scottish heraldry, where each blazon belongs to one bearer.
Get your full Barclay family history
This is only a glimpse of the Barclay story. The full Barclay history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Barclay coat of arms. Get the full Barclay report.
Barclay name FAQ
What does the Barclay name mean?
From Berkeley / birch lea. Common variants include Berkeley, Barkley.
Where does the Barclay surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Barclay coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Barclay coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).