Barett
A masculine name derived from an English surname meaning "strong as a bear".
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the first name Barett. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Barett today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Barett births was 2021 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Barett. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
175
~ 1 in 1,958,596 Americans
Peak year
2021
10 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,980
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Barett: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Barett from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 71 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Barett remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Barett by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Barett during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Barett
The name Barett has its origins in the Old English language, originating from the Germanic root "bar," meaning "bear." This root was often used as a prefix in personal names to signify strength, courage, and formidability. The name itself is believed to have emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, sometime between the 5th and 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Barett can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Baret" and "Barret," suggesting its widespread use among the Anglo-Saxon population at the time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Barett gained prominence in various parts of Europe. In England, Sir Barett de Leybourne, a notable English knight and landowner, lived during the late 13th century. He played a significant role in the Welsh Wars under King Edward I and was present at the siege of Caerphilly Castle in 1271.
In Italy, Barett Alighieri, the son of the renowned poet Dante Alighieri, was born in 1291. He pursued a career in law and served as a judge in various Italian cities, including Verona and Treviso.
Another prominent figure bearing the name Barett was Barett Brawern, a Dutch artist and engraver who lived in the late 16th century. His intricate engravings and etchings depicting religious and allegorical scenes were highly regarded during the Dutch Golden Age.
In the 17th century, Barett van der Neer, a Dutch Golden Age painter, gained recognition for his masterful depictions of moonlit landscapes and nocturnal scenes. Born in 1603, his works were highly influential and sought after by collectors across Europe.
One of the most notable individuals with the name Barett was Barett Browning, the renowned English poet and playwright. Born in 1806, she is best known for her literary masterpieces, including "Sonnets from the Portuguese" and the epic poem "Aurora Leigh." Browning's poetic works explored themes of love, feminism, and social issues, cementing her place as one of the most influential poets of the Victorian era.
People
Barett + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Barett as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Barett: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Barett?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 175 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Barett going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,958,596 US residents.
Is Barett a common name?
We classify Barett as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 178 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Barett most popular?
The single biggest year for Barett was 2021, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Barett is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Barett a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Barett in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.