Surname Barratt - Meaning and Origin

Unraveling the Global Tapestry of the Barratt Family through DNA Analysis at iGENEA

Venturing into the world of DNA analysis at iGENEA offered me an invigorating perspective, tracing the roots of my family name, Barratt. The experience expanded my understanding of my family's origins, our professional history and our forbearers' migration patterns that took our lineage across Europe.

I. Barratt

Barratt: What does the surname Barratt mean?

The last name Barratt is of English origin and is a variant of the name Barrett, which is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Barrett." Barrett was a popular first name that originated from a Norman-French given name, Baret or Barratt, which was thought to have been derived from a Germanic personal name, Berhard or Berwald.

The presence of the last name in England dates as far back as the 14th century when the Barretts of County Cheshire were recorded in the county court rolls. In the centuries that followed, the surname spread to other English counties, including Lancashire, where the Barretts of Holdateron first settled. The name or its variants can now be found in most countries in the world.

Throughout the centuries, the last name Barratt has seen many variations, including Barrat, Barrattt, Barret, Barett, Barritt, Berry, Berrett, Berryatt, and Burrett. On occasion, it has been Anglicized to Barrington. Today, people with the last name Barratt are found mostly in North America and the United Kingdom.

Barratt: Where does the name Barratt come from?

The last name Barratt is most commonly found in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the UK, the Barratt surname is most prominent in the counties of Staffordshire, Dartmoor and Cheshire. In England, the name has been observed to be primarily concentrated in the West Midlands, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Greater London and the East Midlands.

In Australia, the Barratt surname is mainly concentrated across the eastern seaboard of the country, from Victoria in the south to Queensland in the north. The majority of Australian Barratt’s are found in the state of Victoria, with smaller numbers in New South Wales and the capital city of Canberra. The most popular cities in Australia for the Barratt surname are Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.

The Barratt family can also be found in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Ireland and other parts of the British Isles. There is no one single origin for the name. Early records suggest that the name could be of Norman French origin or Scottish.

The name Barratt today can be seen as a Starbucks barista or a barrister in court. On social media sites such as Facebook, there are over 4,200 registered users with the last name Barratt. A search on LinkedIn shows over 5,500 registered users with the last name Barratt.

Variations of the surname Barratt

The surname Barratt is believed to have originated in western England and northeastern Ireland, primarily in Somerset and Devon. The most common variants found are Barrat, Barratt, Barret, Barrett, and Barrot.

Somerset and Devon also bear the spelling variant Barretts, sometimes shortened further to Barrets. Bearatt has been documented in Ireland and some of the southern British Isles. Barraclough is a variant name found in northern England.

The southern Irish variants of this name are Barret or Barat. The northern Irish version is Barrett or Barrat. The Scottish version is Barrat or Barrite. The Welsh variant is Barrat.

In the United States, the spellings Barrat and Barrette are most common. Other common variants include Barritt, Barratte, Barred, and Barrott.

The correlation of names between the United Kingdom and United States is not always exact, with various Barrat-like surnames turning up, such as Baratello, Barou, Barot and Barrette. The Italian surname Barrott is unrelated to the British spelling Barratt. Barret is an Egyptian Jewish name recorded in the late 19th century.

Famous people with the name Barratt

• Benjamin Barratt: British musician and multi-instrumentalist
• Emmeline Barratt: British actress and singer
• David Barratt: British comic actor and writer
• Henry Barratt: British actor
• John Barratt: British actor
• James Barratt: British actor and television presenter
• Lillian Barratt: British actress
• Michael Barratt: British television presenter
• Peter Barratt: British actor
• Andrew Barratt: British business executive and former Chief Marketing Officer for British Telecom
• Richard Barratt: British DJ and producer
• Barbara Barratt: British World War II nurse
• Eric Barratt: British World War II soldier
• Alistair Barratt: British poet, writer, and psychologist
• Natasha Barratt: British actress
• Ed Barratt: British singer-songwriter
• Guy Barratt: British artist
• Hannah Barratt: British actress
• Rebecca Barratt: British television presenter
• James Barratt: British writer and novelist

Other surnames

BarrakBarranBarraschBarrashBarrasj