Barrett
An old surname that likely began as a medieval personal name, later also shaped by French and English surname forms.
The #314 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,084 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Barrett is usually explained as coming from a medieval personal name, Baret or Barret, of Germanic origin. The name is attested in early records and was common in both England and France, where similar forms developed and spread. Some historical writers also linked it with French forms such as Berraud or with later French influence, but the core idea is a surname formed from an old given name rather than from a place or occupation.
History
Historical surname dictionaries note Barrett in medieval and early post-Conquest records, including as a personal name and in Domesday-era forms. The name became established in England in several spellings, and later also arrived or was reinforced by French Protestant refugees using related forms. It is now a well-established surname in Britain, Ireland, and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname scholars treated Barrett as an especially old name because related forms appear in very early records, even before spelling was standardized.
From the historical record
“BARRELL. A corruption of Barwell. BARRETT. BARRITT, &c. Baret,a personal name of Teutonic origin, is found here in Saxon times. See Domesd. In various forms it has always been very com- mon in France and England. BARRINGER. The old Tentonic per- sonal name Berengarius, whence also the - Fr. Beranger. BARRING TON.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Barrett
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861)
- Syd Barrett (1946–2006)
- Amy Coney Barrett (b. 1972)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.