The Barry surname is most commonly considered to be of Anglo-Norman origin. Among the Norman invaders who accompanied William the Conqueror was a nobleman named Odo, who was granted estates in Wales for his service. These included Barri Island in Glamorgan. According to some sources, Barri Island, was named after the 6thcentury Welsh saint, Baruc. But other sources indicate that its name was derived from the village of Barri, near Tournai in Flanders, the possible ancestral home of the Barrys who later came to England, Wales and Ireland. In the 12thcentury, descendants of Odo, who were by then known by the surname deBarri, participated in the Norman-Welsh invasion of Ireland. The family name was Anglicized to Barry and initially was associated primarily with County Cork where several branches developed. The best known of these were the Barry Mor (Great or Elder Barry), Barry Og (Younger Barry) and Barry Roe (Red Barry). In later centuries this Barry family dispersed throughout Ireland and its members can be found today in every county, as well as in North America, England, Australia, New Zealand and in every location of the Irish Diaspora.
Some descendants of the Anglo-Norman Barrys fled to France in the 15th century, adopting the surname DuBarry. There are also men who trace their origins directly to the family's putative place of origin in Flanders. Some of these men use the surname deBary or its variants. That name is found in many places in Northern Europe as well as in America. Other Barrys are native Irish, rather than Anglo-Norman in origin, having descended from O’Beara or O’Bearagh families. In addition, some Barry families changed their name to Berry for various reasons.
The complexity of the Barry family makes it challenging to unravel the relationships among the various branches. The goal of the overall Barry DNA Project has been to contribute to a better understanding of the origins and evolution of this important family. This particular project, with its focus on the Earls of Barrymore, their ancestors and paternal relatives, makes a vital contribution to this understanding.
For further information on the Barry family, see:
Barrymore: records of the Barrys of County Cork from the earliest to the present time, with pedigrees. By Rev. E. Barry (Cork, Ireland, Guy & co., 1902). Available online.
The English conquest of Ireland, A.D. 1166-1185. Based on the work of Geraldis Cambrensis (deBarri) (London, Early English Text Society, 1896). Available online.
The Barry family. By Arthur Collins; reprinted from The Peerage of Ireland (Frankford, PA, Martin & Allardyce, 1911). Available online.
A study on the history of the family Bary-Barry. By Charles de Bary, (Manuscript tr. by Edward O. de Bary, Sewanee, TN 1927} parts i-ii. Available through the Barry DNA Project.
History and description of Santry and Cloghran parishes, county Dublin. By Benjamin William Adams (London, Mitchell and Hughes, 1883). Available online.
The last earls of Barrymore, 1769-1824. By John Robert Robinson (London, S. Low, Marston & co., 1894). Available online.
Notes on Barry genealogy in England and Wales. By Sir John Wolfe Barry (London, Waterlow & sons, limited, 1906). Available online
The Barry family records. By Laurence H. Parker (Boston, 1951). Available online through subscription to Ancestry.com and in microfilm from Family History Centers.
Barry Lore. By Sloan F. and Mary Lou Million. (Privately Printed, Colorado Springs, CO.) Available online and on microfilm through Family History Centers