Barrau family


The Barrau family is a French family from Aveyron. Its proven filiation dates back to Firmin Barrau, a public notary who made his will in 1557.

Origins

Barrau is a nickname coming from the word "barrel". This name is mentioned in some documents before the 16th century.
In the 17th century some members of the Barrau family claimed that they were noble, but in 1666 Guion de Barrau was sentenced for "nobility usurpation". In 1699 he was admit as noble with the support of a forged genealogy that linked him to another noble family of the same name.
The genealogist Gustave Chaix d'Est-Ange wrote about this family : The nobility of the first members of this family is dubious : they didn't have any lordship and they didn't wear the title of squire. In 1666, Guyon de Barrau, from the village of Carcenac, was sentenced for "nobility usurpation".

notable members