The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin (liber) baro meaning "(free) man, (free) warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman". The Baron was known to their peers as former service men, of sophistication and, what the modern layman might call 'class'. Modern Baron is a collection of things that might matter to the modern man - as they might have mattered to a Baron.
