Barrett is an English surname and given name of Irish origin, derived from the Norman French word "barret," which means "brit." The Normans were a group of people who invaded England in the 11th century, bringing with them their language and culture.
The name Barrett was originally used as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who was from Brittany, a region in France. Over time, however, it became an established surname among families of Irish descent.
There are several notable figures throughout history who bear the name Barrett. One such figure is James R. Barrett, an American historian and labor activist who specialized in the study of immigration and ethnicity in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In addition to its use as a surname, Barrett has also been used as a given name for boys and girls since the mid-20th century. In recent years, it has gained popularity as a unisex name, with some parents choosing it because of its unique sound and Irish origins.
The name Barrett experienced a significant surge in popularity over the past century, with birth numbers rising from single digits to over a thousand annually by the late 2010s. The name first peaked in the early 1800s, with an average of around five births per year, but it wasn't until the 1950s that Barrett began to gain substantial traction, with birth numbers consistently breaking the hundred mark each year from 1962 onwards. This trend continued into the new millennium, with record-breaking numbers of newborn Barretts in recent years - over two thousand births were recorded annually between 2017 and 2022. Overall, there have been a total of nearly thirty-thousand babies named Barrett since 1886.