Wilkes-Barre got its name from John Wilkes and Isaac Barré , two British members of Parliament who supported the American colonies before the Revolution. The name was chosen by the settlement’s founders in the late 1700s as a nod to those pro-colonial figures.

Quick scoop

  • Wilkes comes from John Wilkes.
  • Barre comes from Isaac Barré, with the spelling later anglicized in the city name.
  • The city was named around 1770 by Major John Durkee and other Connecticut settlers in the Wyoming Valley.

In plain English, the name was basically a political tribute: the founders admired two British lawmakers who backed colonial rights.