Find out how popular the last name Barrett is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Barrett.

Barrett, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Barrett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barrett in America

Barrett is the 314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barrett surname appeared 100,104 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 34 people would have the surname Barrett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barrett to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Barrett

The surname Barrett originated in England, specifically in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, sometime around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "barat," which means strife or discord, and was initially used as a nickname for someone who was contentious or quarrelsome.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Barett." This indicates that the name had already been established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the name was commonly spelled in various ways, including Barret, Barett, Barret, and Baratt. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling that were common before standardization became more widespread.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Barrett was Sir Walter Barrett, who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent landowner in Norfolk.

In the 14th century, the name appears in several historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where it is listed as "Barette."

Another notable figure was John Barrett, a 15th-century English politician and landowner from Hertfordshire, who served as a Member of Parliament for the county in 1455.

In the 16th century, the Barrett family played a significant role in the English Reformation. Thomas Barrett (1490-1558) was an influential Protestant reformer and a close associate of Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

During the 17th century, the name was often associated with place names, such as Barrett's Grove in Stoke Newington, London, which was named after a local landowner named Barrett.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Barrett was Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861), the renowned English poet whose works include "Sonnets from the Portuguese" and "Aurora Leigh."

Another notable figure was Sir Edward Barrett (1788-1876), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and was instrumental in the founding of several Australian settlements.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barrett

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Barrett.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Barrett was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Barrett has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Barrett was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Barrett, please contact us.

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