boy's name
Barrett
BA-rət
- Origin Disputed
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 35,768
the United States
#171
2025 births
Barrett is a boy's name of disputed origin. It is read as Middle English for "strife" or "quarrel," as a Germanic "bear strength," and as a Norman French nickname — with no agreement between them.
- Barrett is a name of Disputed origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 2,178 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,522 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1886.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Barrett over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 11 |
| 1900s | 6 |
| 1910s | 82 |
| 1920s | 155 |
| 1930s | 209 |
| 1940s | 365 |
| 1950s | 574 |
| 1960s | 888 |
| 1970s | 1,479 |
| 1980s | 2,276 |
| 1990s | 1,746 |
| 2000s | 2,959 |
| 2010s | 11,810 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 11,857 |
What Barrett means
Barrett has no settled meaning. Strife or dispute is the most-argued reading, from the Middle English barat; bear strength and a French nickname for a deceiver are the alternatives.
Where Barrett comes from
Barrett is an English surname whose derivation is genuinely contested. The strongest candidate is the Middle English barat, meaning trouble, strife or deception, borrowed from Old French — a nickname for a quarrelsome or crafty person. A Germanic reading combines bern, bear, with hard, strong. A third traces it to a Norman personal name. Surname scholars have not resolved it, and reference works that give a single confident meaning are choosing one candidate without saying so. Elizabeth Barrett Browning is its best-known bearer.
Barrett in use
Our data shows Barrett peaking in 2025 and still rising, and it first appears in our records in 1886. It belongs to the current American surname wave with Beckett, Hayes and Colter — a group whose British presence is close to nil.
How popular is Barrett?
In 2025, Barrett was given to 2,178 babies in the United States, ranking #171 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Barrett is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Barrett
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Barrett also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Barrett over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Barrett
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Barrett in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Barrett
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Barrett — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Barrett
What does the name Barrett mean?
There is no agreed meaning. "Strife" from the Middle English barat is the strongest candidate, with "bear strength" as an alternative.
Why do sources disagree about Barrett?
Surname scholars have not resolved it. Works giving a single confident meaning are picking one candidate without saying so.
Is Barrett used in Britain?
As a surname yes, but rarely as a first name. Its rise as a given name is American.
How popular is the name Barrett?
In 2025, Barrett was given to 2,178 babies in the United States, ranking #171 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Barrett a girl's or a boy's name?
Barrett is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Barrett?
Barrett has 2 syllables.
When was Barrett most popular?
Barrett peaked in 2025, when 2,178 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Barrett?
Barrett is usually shortened to Barry and Bear.
Is Barrett a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Barrett currently ranks #171 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.