Contents [hide]

Barrett History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies South Africa

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Barrett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Ireland
England

Etymology of Barrett

What does the name Barrett mean?

When the Strongbownians arrived in Ireland, they encountered an established Irish system for creating hereditary surnames. However, like the Irish, the Anglo-Norman Strongbownians frequently had patronymic surnames, a form of surname that was formed from the name of the bearer's father, or another older relative. Therefore, since the Strongbownians' system was in many ways built on the same principles as the Irish, the two systems eventually attained a sort of merger. Since the Stronbownian's names often had Norman names which were French, diminutive suffixes, such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el were added to the name of the bearer's father, or older relative. Another Norman way of creating a patronymic name was to use the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word "fils," and ultimately from the Latin "filius," both of which mean son. The surname Barrett is derived from the personal name Berold. In Munster, the Gaelic form of the surname Barrett is Baróid, while in Connacht, the Gaelic form is Bairéid.

Early Origins of the Barrett family

The surname Barrett was first found in Lincolnshire, where Matthew Baret was recorded between 1150 and 1155. The Barret family was also established in the English counties of Nottinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Yorkshire and Essex. However, they joined Strongbow in his invasion of Ireland in 1172 at the invitation of the King of Leinster, Dermot McMurrough. Strongbow granted lands to the family in County Cork and County Mayo where they became staunchly Irish.

Patrick Barret (d. 1415), was an Irish ecclesiastic and judge, one of the canons of the Augustinian abbey of Kells in Ossory, was consecrated Bishop of Ferns in Wexford by the Pope at Rome in December 1400. 1

Not all of the family emigrated to Ireland, but today the name is better known there than in England. By example, "the manor of Ashton, or Ashtorre Barrett, in [the parish of St. Dominick, Cornwall], belonged for many generations to the ancient family of Barrett; but on failure of male issue it passed with an heiress in 1707 to the family of Prestwood." 2

Early History of the Barrett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barrett research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1410, 1412, 1415, 1554, 1555, 1558, 1580, 1631, 1691, 1693 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Barrett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barrett Spelling Variations

During an investigation of the origin of each name, it was found that church officials and medieval scribes spelled many surnames as they sounded. Therefore, during the lifetime of a single person, a name could be spelt numerous ways. Some of the spelling variations for the name Barrett include Barrett, Barret, Barett, Baret, Barratt, Barrat, Barat, Baratt, McWhadden and many more.

Early Notables of the Barrett family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

Lord of Tirawley; Patrick Barrett (died 1415), an Irishman who held religious and secular high offices in Ireland, an Augustinian Canon at Kells Priory in County Kilkenny, Bishop of Ferns (appointed 1...
John Barrett (died 1693), was an Irish colonel and head of the barony of the Cork Barrett family; he raised a regiment of infantry for King James' army in Ireland; and John Barret (1631-1713), was a p...

Barrett World Ranking

In the United States, the name Barrett is the 280^th most popular surname with an estimated 96,993 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Barrett is ranked the 399^th most popular surname with an estimated 11,607 people with that name. 4 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Barrett is the 56^th popular surname with an estimated 447 people with that name. 5 Australia ranks Barrett as 191^st with 16,704 people. 6 New Zealand ranks Barrett as 200^th with 2,795 people. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Barrett as 166^th with 32,381 people. 8

Barrett migration to the United States +

Ireland experienced a dramatic decrease in its population during the 19th century. This was in a great measure, a response to England's imperialistic policies. Hunger and disease took the lives of many Irish people and many more chose to leave their homeland to escape the horrific conditions. North America with its promise of work, freedom, and land was an extremely popular destination for Irish families. For those families that survived the journey, all three of these things were often attained through much hard work and perseverance. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Barrett:

Barrett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Francis Barrett, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 9
Walter Barrett, aged 26, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 9
William Barrett, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 9
John Barrett, aged 36, who landed in Virginia in 1623 9
Margaret Barrett, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1633 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barrett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Baldues Barrett, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 9
Baldus Barrett, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 9
Balthas Barrett, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 9
Arthur Barrett, who landed in Virginia in 1749 9
Andrew Barrett, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1764 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barrett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ezekiel Barrett, aged 26, who arrived in New York in 1812 9
Hugh Barrett, aged 48, who landed in Delaware in 1812 9
A Barrett, aged 33, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 9
Edward Barrett, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1843 9
Michael Barrett, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1843 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barrett Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. John Barrett, (b. 1877), aged 23, Cornish smith travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 15th April 1900 en route to New York, USA 10
Mr. Henry Barrett, (b. 1877), aged 27, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Germanic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 11th October 1904 en route to Sutter Creek, California, USA 10
Mr. James Barrett, (b. 1884), aged 21, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Salt Lake, Utah, USA 10
Mr. John Henry Barrett, (b. 1862), aged 43, Cornish miller, from Redruth, Cornwall travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 30th September 1905 en route to Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA 10

Barrett migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barrett Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robin Barrett, from England, settled at Trepassey, Newfoundland in the early 18th century, he later moved to Woody Island 11
John Barrett, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1705 11
Abraham Barrett, who settled in Torbay/Portugal Cove, Newfoundland in 1708 11
John Barrett from Poole, England, was a planter of Old Perlican, Newfoundland in 1709 11
John Barrett, from Poole, Dorset, England, settled in Bread and Cheese Cove, Newfoundland around 1728 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barrett Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Barrett, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1822
Thomas Barrett, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1828
John Barrett, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831
John Barrett, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Hibernia" from Kinsale, Ireland
Richard Barrett, aged 32, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Hibernia" from Kinsale, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barrett migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Barrett Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Thomas Barrett, (b. 1758), aged 29, English blacksmith who was convicted in London, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Charlotte" on 13th May 1787, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1788 12

Barrett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Barrett, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
George Barrett, English convict from Wiltshire, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 14
Mr. Thomas Barrett, (b. 1802), aged 18, English labourer who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dick" on 2nd October 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1827 15
Mr. William Barrett, (b. 1799), aged 23, Irish shoe maker who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
George Barrett, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 17
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barrett migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Barrett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richard Barrett, who landed in Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand in 1830
John Barrett, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Richard Barrett, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
William Barrett, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. Peter Barrett, British settler, as the 2nd Detachment of New Zealand Corps of Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Minerva" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th October 1847 18
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barrett migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 19

Barrett Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Barrett, who landed in Barbados in 1635 9
Evan Barrett, who landed in Barbados in 1679 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Barrett (post 1700) +

Danelle Barrett (1967-2024), American naval officer who is one of less that 200 women to achieve Rear Admiral (lower half)
Colleen C. Barrett (1944-2024), American business executive, President, and later President Emerita, of Southwest Airlines
Ernie Drew "Black Jack" Barrett (1929-2023), American NBA professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics (1953-1954) and (1955-1956)
Daniel Barrett, American animation supervisor and Academy Award winner for Best Visual Effects for the film (Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), he was also nominated for Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
David Barrett (1954-2018), American journalist who worked for Fox News, ABC Radio News, and CBS News
Lawrence Barrett (1838-1891), born Lawrence Brannigan, an American stage actor from Paterson, New Jersey
William E. "Bill" Barrett (1929-2016), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska (1991-2001)
Wayne Barrett (1945-2017), American journalist, investigative reporter and senior editor for the Village Voice for 37 years
Tom Barrett, American co-founder of Barrett-Jackson, an American auction company in Scottsdale, Arizona which specializes in the auction of classic cars and antique cars
Sister Adrian Barrett (1929-2015), American Roman Catholic nun, founder of Friends of the Poor, a nonprofit organization in Scranton, Pennsylvania
... (Another 25 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Barrett family +

HMS Cornwall

Cyril Edward Barrett (d. 1942), British Musician aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 20

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Wilfred William Barrett, British Petty Officer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 21

HMS Repulse

Mr. Herbert Barrett, British Corporal, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 22

HMS Royal Oak

Walter Barrett, British Stoker Petty Officer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 23

RMS Lusitania

Miss May Barrett, Irish 2nd Class passenger residing in New York, New York, USA returning to Ireland, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 24
Mr. Daniel Barrett, Irish Fireman from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 25

RMS Titanic

Mr. Frederick Barrett, aged 28, English Leading Fireman from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 13 26
Mr. Frederick William Barrett (d. 1912), aged 33, English Fireman/Stoker from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 26

SS Newfoundland

Mr. E. Barrett, Newfoundlander from St. John's, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived
Mr. James Barrett (b. 1887), Newfoundlander from Old Perlican, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived

SS Southern Cross

Mr. Thomas Barrett (1889-1914), Newfoundlander from Tilton who was aboard the "SS Southern Cross" when it is suspected she sank between the 31st March 1914 and early April during the storm with a heavy load of pelts; no survivors were ever found
Mr. Edward Barrett (1888-1914), Newfoundlander from Tilton who was aboard the "SS Southern Cross" when it is suspected she sank between the 31st March 1914 and early April during the storm with a heavy load of pelts; no survivors were ever found

USS Indianapolis

James Benedict Barrett (1927-1945), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 27

Sources +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charlotte
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew