Ibarra is a Spanish and Basque habitational surname. It originates from various places in the Basque Country, such as the town of Ibarra in Gipuzkoa or a minor locality near Bilbao, all of which derive their name from the Basque word ibar, meaning
A variant spelling is Ybarra, particularly common in older Spanish records. This orthographic difference arose from the historical variation in representing the Basque sound in Castilian.
While primarily a surname, Ibarra is also a place name, including the Ecuadorian city of Ibarra (founded in 1606 and named after a colonial official, possibly Cristóbal de Ibarra) and its canton. In the United States, the surname ranks as the 507th most common (, according to the 2010 Census it belongs to over 66,000 people). The name is most frequent in regions with large Hispanic populations, such as the Southwestern states.
Notable bearers of the surname include Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (Spanish: Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner: right--linked—irrelevant).
Sources: Wiktionary — Ibarra