Place
Ibarra surname meaning
A Basque habitational surname from ibar, “meadow,” “riverbank,” or “valley,” plus the definite article.
The short story
Ibarra is a Basque habitational surname from ibar, a word for a meadow, riverbank, or valley, with the definite article -a. It can come from any of several places named Ibarra in the Basque Country, so the geographic meaning is clearer than the identity of a particular ancestral village. Ybarra and Ivarra are important spelling forms in historical records; Ibar is related but not automatically the same surname. Place is the high-confidence catalog type because the Basque locality formation is strong. The landscape gloss should not be treated as proof that all Ibarra families share one origin.
Also seen as: Ybarra, Ivarra, Ibar, Ibarra
Sources used
- Ancestry, Dictionary of American Family Names entry 'Ibarra' (Basque place-name from ibar)
- Wikipedia 'Ibarra (surname)' (Basque surname and regional spelling forms)
- Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)