Targeting the highly destructive Rayleigh waves, this study designed a 2D frame-type surface wave barrier composed of hollow rectangular columns and solid rectangular columns. Within each hollow square column are four solid rectangular columns partitioning the interior into five fillable regions. First, the dispersion characteristics and transmission properties of the frame-type barrier were calculated using the finite element method. Modal analysis of unit cells revealed the bandgap formation mechanism. Parametric studies then quantified the influences of geometric dimensions, materials, and soil properties on bandgap width. For layered soils, the frequency-domain responses of periodic barriers were analyzed, and the vibration attenuation mechanisms were identified via modal diagrams. Finally, the frequency-domain responses of forward/inverse gradient barriers were computed, and the dynamic responses of periodic barriers under artificial/El-Centro seismic waves were analyzed to validate the seismic wave attenuation characteristics of the barrier. Results indicate the following: (1) The frame-type surface wave barrier exhibits broad bandgaps arising from the Bragg scattering-induced conversion of surface waves into downward-propagating body waves. (2) Soil parameters affect the upper limit of the bandgap, whereas barrier height and column width critically influence attenuation zones. Adjusting these parameters enables targeted Rayleigh wave attenuation across bands. (3) In layered soils, the surface waves are concentrated primarily within the top three layers, and the periodic barriers retain notable attenuation efficacy. (4) The forward/inverse gradient configurations outperform the periodic arrangements. (5) The periodic barriers achieve 70.5% overall acceleration reduction within the bandgaps during seismic events. These findings provide references for novel seismic mitigation structures.