Jarrett last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Jarrett

Derived from the Old French word "jarret," meaning a grass enclosure or garden.

Jarrett, 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 Jarrett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jarrett in America

Jarrett is the 1648th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jarrett surname appeared 21,821 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Jarrett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jarrett 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 1648 1610 2.33%
Count 21,821 20,449 6.49%
Proportion per 100k 7.40 7.58 -2.40%

The history of the last name Jarrett

The surname Jarrett has its origins in France, with the earliest recordings dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the French personal name "Gérard," which itself comes from the Germanic elements "gair" meaning "spear" and "hart" meaning "brave" or "hardy." The name likely referred to a brave or hardy spearman or warrior.

The earliest known bearer of the name was Gérard de Jarret, who was mentioned in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres in 1162. This document was a collection of charters and records from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, France. The name Jarret in this context is thought to have been a locational surname, referring to someone who lived in a specific place called Jarret or Jarré.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Jarret, Jarrett, Jarette, and Jarrette, in records from the regions of Normandy, Picardy, and Île-de-France in northern France. These regions were home to many early bearers of the surname.

One notable historical figure with the surname Jarrett was Sir Thomas Jarrett (c. 1450-1513), an English courtier and soldier who served under King Henry VIII. He was appointed Captain of the Guard and held various military positions during the Tudor period.

Another early bearer of the name was Jean Jarret (c. 1480-1552), a French Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Paris. He was known for his writings on theology and his involvement in the religious debates of the time.

In the 17th century, the name Jarrett appeared in the British colonies of North America. One notable figure was Thomas Jarrett (c. 1620-1671), who was among the early settlers of the Virginia Colony and served as a member of the House of Burgesses.

The surname Jarrett also has a long history in England, with records showing families bearing the name in various counties, including Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and Gloucestershire. One notable English bearer of the name was John Jarrett (1721-1784), a clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.

As the name spread across the English-speaking world, it has been associated with various notable individuals, including American artist Darel Jarrett (1936-2018), Canadian politician Claude Jarrett (1938-2020), and British musician Joss Jarrett (1959-present).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jarrett

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

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 Jarrett was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 68.37% 14,919
Non-Hispanic Black Only 26.22% 5,721
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.43% 94
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.54% 118
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.33% 508
Hispanic Origin 2.10% 458

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 Jarrett has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 68.37% 71.36% -4.28%
Black 26.22% 24.44% 7.03%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.43% 0.38% 12.35%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.54% 0.57% -5.41%
Two or More Races 2.33% 1.90% 20.33%
Hispanic 2.10% 1.35% 43.48%

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 Jarrett was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Jarrett last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 10, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/jarrett-surname-popularity/.

"Jarrett last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/jarrett-surname-popularity/. Accessed 10 October, 2024

Jarrett last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/jarrett-surname-popularity/.

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