What's in a Name - surname. Barbara MIJARES REED OWES ROBARTS

I was born Barbara Louise MIJARES, daughter of Louise Marie McGinness Mijares and Rolf Siegfried Mijares.  Mijares is a noble Spanish family name meaning millet or millet field.  My father and grandfather were born in the Philippines. I have not followed my line further back (yet). It is my understanding that our family were landowners in the Philippines.   

My parents were divorced when I was very young.  My mother married Harold REED who adopted me (and my brother and sister).  The name Reed may have come from the nickname meaning red.  Or it might come from the valley of Redesdale or the River Rede in Northern England.

Mother and Harry divorced.  She married Gordon D. OWES who adopted me and my siblings, now a sister and 2 brothers) I was told that the name was originally Aas (possibly pronounced owes), but when the family came to America from Scandinavia wiseacre (or careless) Americans changed the spelling from double A S to A double S.  When the Aas realized what happened and what it meant, they changed their last name to OWES, same sound, different spelling and meaning.  In Norway and Sweden  "As" meant "ridge" 

Mother and Gordon also divorced, but I was married before she married Don JOHNSTON.

I married Glen ROBARTS. (we divorced, I kept the name because it is my children's name)  

 Robarts is supposedly a variation of Robert or Roberts which comes from the Old German and means "fame" or "bright."

I, however, created a name origin story for the Robarts;

Long ago in Wales, a young man named Bart served the lord of the manor by rowing his boat for the master's pleasure.  Bart was a bit of a dreamy young fellow who enjoyed nature.  Sometimes he would be so enraptured by the beauties of nature that he would forget to row.  He watched a mother duck and her flock of ducklings swimming near by.  The master would order, "Row, Bart!"  Bart admired the reflection of the clouds on the pond and the boat drifted.  "Row, Bart!"  A butterfly fluttered by.  "Row, Bart!"  And so it went all day long.  You know how sounds carry over water.  All Bart's neighbors in their fields and shops heard the master's call.  When Bart returned home, the villagers would teasingly greet him, "Row, Bart!"  Soon he was not just Bart, but always Robart, when he married, his wife was Robarts' wife, and his children were Robarts children.  I know this is the true story of how the Robarts family got its name because I made it up myself. 

Below is an honestly true story:  

One day at the temple, sisters I knew casually asked me to remind them of my name.  So I told them Bart's story to help them remember.  

A week or two later, we met at the temple again.  They greeted me, "Hello, Sister Michaels!" 

Michael, row the boat ashore