Deuil-la-Barre is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the Department of Val d'Oise, the préfecture of Cergy-Pontoise and the sous-préfecture of Sarcelles. It is 13.7km from the centre of Paris. Despite this proximity to the metropolis, Deuil has retained much of the charm of a country village, with orchards and wooded hillsides.NameIn modern French, the word deuil means mourning. That is not, however, the derivation of this commune's name. The word is in fact Celtic, a combination of divo (God) and ialo (a clearing in a wood.) Historical citations include the toponyms Diogilum (862,) Doguillum, Diogilo (9th century,) and Villam Dueil (1070.)Originally called simply Deuil in modern times, the name of the commune became officially Deuil-la-Barre on 7 December 1952. Barre here has the sense of a barrier or enclosure.The demonym is Deuillois.HistoryOn 7 August 1850, a part of the territory of Deuil-la-Barre was detached and merged with a part of the territory of Saint-Gratien, a part of the territory of Soisy-sous-Montmorency, and a part of the territory of Épinay-sur-Seine to create the commune of Enghien-les-Bains.