What Does the Name Barrett Mean?

Barrett is a boy's name of English (Germanic, via Norman) origin meaning “bear strength / bear rule.”

Updated June 2026

Name	Barrett
Gender	male
Origin	English (Germanic, via Norman)
Meaning	bear strength / bear rule
Variants	Barret, Baret, Barette
Popularity	A steadily growing surname-style boys' name in the U.S., generally within the top 300 to 450 in recent years.

The meaning and origin of Barrett

The name Barrett means “bear strength / bear rule” and has English (Germanic, via Norman) origins. An English surname most commonly traced to the Germanic personal name Beroald (bera 'bear' + wald 'rule'), introduced to England by the Normans; some sources also link it to a nickname for a quarrelsome person. It is now used as a strong-sounding given name.

Variants and related names

Barrett is related to several other names you may recognize: Barret, Baret, Barette. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Barrett?

A steadily growing surname-style boys' name in the U.S., generally within the top 300 to 450 in recent years.

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