The name Jareth is believed to have originated from the Old English name Gærfæðer, which means "spear-father" or "warrior-father." This name is rooted in the Anglo-Saxon culture that flourished in parts of what is now England and southeastern Scotland from the 5th to the 11th centuries.

In its earliest recorded forms, the name was spelled as Gærfæðer or Gærfæder, with various regional variations such as Gærfæther and Gærfæðr. It is thought to have been a compound name derived from the Old English words "gær" (spear) and "fæder" (father), reflecting the warrior culture of the Anglo-Saxons.

The name Jareth is a modern anglicized variation of the Old English name, with the spelling evolving over time. While no definitive historical records exist of individuals bearing the exact spelling "Jareth" in ancient times, the name's origin can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with a similar name was Gærfæder, an Anglo-Saxon nobleman who lived in the 7th century. He was mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an important historical record of the period.

Another notable individual with a related name was Gærfæðer of Mercia, an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and warrior who lived in the 8th century. He was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Mercia, one of the major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the time.

In the 10th century, there was a record of an Anglo-Saxon nobleman named Gærfæðer æt Norðhymbraland, who held lands in the region of Northumbria.

During the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, the name fell out of favor, but it resurfaced centuries later in various spellings, such as Garforth, Garfath, and Jarfath, reflecting the evolution of the language.

In more recent history, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Jareth was Jareth Windgold (1712-1789), an English explorer and adventurer known for his travels to the West Indies in the 18th century.