A Spanish surname, Barrera comes from the Latin term ‘barrera’ which means a barrier; some near a gate. The spelling variations for Barrera include de Barrera, Barros, Barrio, Barrios, Barreto, Barrientos, Barreda, de la Barrera and Barral. In Spain the Barrera name originated in the Castile region. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many with the Barrera surname resettled in Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Columbia and Chile. Within the United States the Barrera families originated in Texas, New Mexico, California, Colorado, Florida and Louisiana. Famous: Marco Anthonio Barrera (professional boxer from Mexico), Evaristo Barrera (professional footballer from Argentina), Alejandro Barrera (professional boxer from Mexico), Elkin Barrera (champion road cyclist from Columbia), Antonio Imbert Barrera (President of the Dominican Republic), Jesse Barrera (musician - guitar) and Jorge Barrera (footballer from Mexico).