Garrett
A surname with several overlapping origins, most commonly a form of Gerard or Gerald, though it can also be locational in some cases.
The #279 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,789 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Garrett is usually treated as an English surname from medieval personal names such as Gerard and Gerald, which ultimately come from Germanic elements meaning roughly “spear” and “brave” or “rule.” Historical surname writers also linked Garrett with spellings such as Garratt and Garrard, treating them as related forms descended from the same name-family. In some cases, however, Garrett may be locational, from the Surrey place-name Garrett, so not every bearer shares the same origin.
History
The name appears in English records in several spellings, and nineteenth-century scholars often grouped Garrett with Gerard, Garratt, Garrard, and related forms. One older source also notes a Surrey hamlet called Garrett, showing that some instances may have been taken from a place-name rather than a personal name. The surname is well established in Britain and later became common in North America and other English-speaking regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower noted a legal opinion claiming that Garrett and Gerald were “but one name,” a reminder of how loosely surnames were sometimes grouped by early etymologists.
From the historical record
“Gerald. GARRETT. GARRATT. It has been decided legally (!) that Garrett and Gerald are but one name. Jacob, Law Diet., title Mixnomer. But Garrett is a hamlet iu Surrey, famous for its mock-mayor. G ARR rCK. A parish united with Ileck- ington, CO. Lincoln. David Garrick is said to have been of French refugee extrac-…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom