boy's name
Garrett
GA-ret
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 141,447
the United States
#564
2025 births
Garrett means spear-strength or spear-rule, and it descends from two different Germanic names that medieval English speakers could no longer tell apart. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track today.
- Garrett is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2000, when 5,850 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 6,303 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Garrett 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 | 128 |
| 1890s | 210 |
| 1900s | 172 |
| 1910s | 544 |
| 1920s | 786 |
| 1930s | 726 |
| 1940s | 1,324 |
| 1950s | 1,773 |
| 1960s | 3,095 |
| 1970s | 6,674 |
| 1980s | 20,627 |
| 1990s | 45,464 |
| 2000s | 36,304 |
| 2010s | 14,404 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,983 |
What Garrett means
Garrett means spear-strength or spear-rule, depending on which of two parent names it descends from. Both are Germanic compounds beginning with the word for a spear.
Where Garrett comes from
Garrett comes from the medieval English Gerald and Gerard, which are distinct Germanic names that fell together in speech — Gerald is ger, a spear, joined to wald, rule; Gerard is the same ger joined to hard, hardy or brave. Both were common enough after the Norman Conquest that their pet forms merged, producing the surname Garrett and the Irish Garrett, which was used to anglicize Gearóid. The ger element is the same one that ends Edgar and Oscar, and it is one of the most productive in Germanic naming.
Garrett in use
Garrett peaked in the United States in 2000, when 5,850 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 564th in the United States on 526 births, across 141,447 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1880, so it is a long-standing American name despite its most recent peak falling in this century.
How popular is Garrett?
In 2025, Garrett was given to 526 babies in the United States, ranking #564 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Garrett 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 Garrett
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Garrett also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Garrett over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Garrett
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.
Garrett 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 Garrett
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Garrett — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Garrett
What does the name Garrett mean?
Spear-rule or spear-strength — it descends from both Gerald and Gerard, which merged.
Are Gerald and Gerard the same name?
No, but their pet forms merged in medieval English, which is where Garrett comes from.
Is Garrett Irish?
It was used to anglicize the Irish Gearóid, so it has an Irish line as well as an English one.
How popular is Garrett?
564th in the United States, the only market where it charts.
Is Garrett a girl's or a boy's name?
Garrett is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Garrett?
Garrett has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Garrett?
Garrett is usually shortened to Gary.
Is Garrett a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Garrett currently ranks #564 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.