Barrett
Barrett is a boys' name of English origin meaning “bear strength.” It ranked #171 in the United States in 2025. Barrett originated as a surname from the Old German 'Beroald,' meaning bear-power, or possibly from the Old French…
how do you pronounce Barrett?
BARE-it
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Barrett mean?
The name Barrett means “bear strength.” It comes from the English language tradition.
Barrett originated as a surname from the Old German 'Beroald,' meaning bear-power, or possibly from the Old French 'barette,' referring to strife. It has a sturdy, masculine quality that has made it increasingly popular as a first name. The name projects both strength and sophistication.
where does the name Barrett come from?
Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree the surname converged from more than one origin, and neither supports the bear-strength gloss given elsewhere: Wiktionary traces lines to the Irish Baireid, glossed as quarrelsome, and to Baraud, from a word for trickery or deception; Wikipedia's Norman-surname account gives the sense as warlike or troublesome.
the history of Barrett
As a Norman surname it became established in England and Ireland after the Norman Invasion, per Wikipedia; its use as a given name is a later transfer.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #171 |
| 2024 | #187 |
| 2023 | #206 |
| 2022 | #208 |
| 2021 | #193 |
| 2020 | #193 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Barrett?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Barrett?
- Barrett Strong (American singer-songwriter, first Motown hit)
- Barrett Foa (American actor)
what names are similar to Barrett?
what names go well with Barrett?
Sibling names that share Barrett's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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