Barrett

Barrett is an English and Irish surname with Norman roots. A specialist surname dictionary links it, probably, with an older nickname involving strife or contention. The appealing explanation “bear strength” appears in baby-name lists, but it is not secure enough to present as the name’s established meaning.

Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning gives the surname a literary association that is independent of its older nickname history. As a first name, Barrett has two syllables and the familiar -ett ending also heard in Bennett and Beckett. Barret and Barratt are related surname spellings. Parents using Barrett to honor a family member may place more importance on that personal connection than on a meaning whose historical details remain uncertain.