An Irish and English surname, Barry comes from the Gaelic terms ‘bearghi’ and baire’ which refer to a raider, a thief. The spelling variations for Barry include Barrie, Bearrach, Barrymore, De Barry, O’Barry, Bareth, Barrath and Barold. In Ireland the Barry surname is most numerous in County Cork. In England the Barry name is all across Wales and England. The greater numbers are found in the city of London, Lanarkshire and in Glamorgan, Wales. In Scotland the Barry surname is across the central and southern regions of the country. Most are concentrated in West Lothian, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Angus and Aberdeenshire. Within the United States the Barry family name originated in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California and Illinois. Famous: Fred Barry (professional football player), Gen Barry (movie and television actor), Joan Barry (English actress), Kevin Barry (champion boxer from New Zealand), Mike Barry (professional English footballer), Sebastian Barry (Irish novelist, poet and playwright), Seymour ‘Sy’ Barry (comic strip artist - The Phantom), Wesley E. Barry (child actor, then director and producer of films and television) and Philip James Barry (theatre playwright).