NameCensus.

UK surname

Barrett

An English occupational surname referring to a bear trainer or keeper of bears.

In the 1881 census there were 20,042 people recorded with the Barrett surname, ranking it #188 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 31,051, ranked #174, up from #188 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, London parishes and Halifax. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Breckland, Oxford and Wiltshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Barrett is 32,379 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.9%.

1881 census count

20,042

Ranked #188

Modern count

31,051

2016, ranked #174

Peak year

1999

32,379 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Barrett had 20,042 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #188 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 31,051 in 2016, ranked #174.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 26,775 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Barrett surname distribution map

The map shows where the Barrett surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Barrett surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Barrett over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 10,818 #234
1861 historical 10,532 #241
1881 historical 20,042 #188
1891 historical 20,625 #190
1901 historical 24,756 #186
1911 historical 26,775 #154
1997 modern 30,850 #166
1998 modern 32,270 #163
1999 modern 32,379 #164
2000 modern 32,055 #168
2001 modern 31,300 #169
2002 modern 31,904 #170
2003 modern 31,036 #171
2004 modern 30,995 #170
2005 modern 30,388 #171
2006 modern 30,170 #173
2007 modern 30,479 #173
2008 modern 30,597 #173
2009 modern 31,431 #171
2010 modern 32,065 #170
2011 modern 31,610 #171
2012 modern 30,877 #172
2013 modern 31,536 #173
2014 modern 31,552 #174
2015 modern 31,252 #174
2016 modern 31,051 #174

Geography

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Where Barretts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, London parishes, Halifax and St Pancras. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Breckland, Oxford, Wiltshire, Bradford and Pembrokeshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Rochdale Lancashire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Pancras London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Breckland 005 Breckland
2 Oxford 016 Oxford
3 Wiltshire 006 Wiltshire
4 Bradford 004 Bradford
5 Pembrokeshire 010 Pembrokeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Barrett

These lists show first names that appear often with the Barrett surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Barrett

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Barrett, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Barrett surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Barrett household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Barrett is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Barrett is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Barrett falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Barrett is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Barrett, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Barrett

The surname Barrett originated in England, specifically in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, sometime around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "barat," which means strife or discord, and was initially used as a nickname for someone who was contentious or quarrelsome.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Barett." This indicates that the name had already been established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the name was commonly spelled in various ways, including Barret, Barett, Barret, and Baratt. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling that were common before standardization became more widespread.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Barrett was Sir Walter Barrett, who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent landowner in Norfolk.

In the 14th century, the name appears in several historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where it is listed as "Barette."

Another notable figure was John Barrett, a 15th-century English politician and landowner from Hertfordshire, who served as a Member of Parliament for the county in 1455.

In the 16th century, the Barrett family played a significant role in the English Reformation. Thomas Barrett (1490-1558) was an influential Protestant reformer and a close associate of Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

During the 17th century, the name was often associated with place names, such as Barrett's Grove in Stoke Newington, London, which was named after a local landowner named Barrett.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Barrett was Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861), the renowned English poet whose works include "Sonnets from the Portuguese" and "Aurora Leigh."

Another notable figure was Sir Edward Barrett (1788-1876), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and was instrumental in the founding of several Australian settlements.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Barrett families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Barrett surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 3,316 Barretts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.69x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 3,316 1.69x
Yorkshire 2,568 1.32x
Lancashire 2,105 0.90x
Surrey 1,378 1.44x
Norfolk 968 3.21x
Kent 788 1.18x
Gloucestershire 572 1.49x
Devon 519 1.27x
Hampshire 510 1.27x
Essex 450 1.16x
Cornwall 443 1.99x
Oxfordshire 427 3.52x
Berkshire 426 2.89x
Dorset 408 3.17x
Warwickshire 380 0.77x
Wiltshire 335 1.93x
Staffordshire 331 0.50x
Somerset 329 1.04x
Northamptonshire 295 1.60x
Suffolk 274 1.15x
Buckinghamshire 221 1.86x
Cambridgeshire 215 1.73x
Durham 215 0.37x
Glamorgan 192 0.56x
Monmouthshire 184 1.30x
Lincolnshire 172 0.55x
Bedfordshire 170 1.67x
Cheshire 164 0.38x
Lanarkshire 159 0.25x
Worcestershire 146 0.57x
Sussex 142 0.43x
Shropshire 139 0.82x
Hertfordshire 118 0.87x
Nottinghamshire 118 0.45x
Northumberland 117 0.40x
Derbyshire 103 0.34x
Leicestershire 88 0.40x
Herefordshire 81 1.01x
Montgomeryshire 65 1.45x
Midlothian 58 0.22x
Royal Navy 45 1.92x
Cumberland 44 0.26x
Huntingdonshire 36 0.92x
Channel Islands 33 0.57x
Pembrokeshire 28 0.45x
Renfrewshire 27 0.18x
Brecknockshire 24 0.61x
Flintshire 21 0.40x
Angus 20 0.11x
Dunbartonshire 16 0.30x
Rutland 14 0.97x
Denbighshire 13 0.18x
Isle of Man 13 0.36x
Fife 12 0.10x
Carmarthenshire 11 0.13x
Roxburghshire 10 0.28x
Ayrshire 8 0.05x
Perthshire 8 0.09x
West Lothian 6 0.20x
Argyllshire 5 0.09x
Cardiganshire 5 0.10x
Dumfriesshire 5 0.12x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.05x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.02x
East Lothian 3 0.12x
Westmorland 2 0.05x
Anglesey 1 0.03x
Buteshire 1 0.08x
Merionethshire 1 0.03x
Peeblesshire 1 0.11x
Radnorshire 1 0.06x
Stirlingshire 1 0.01x
Wigtownshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 266 Barretts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.55x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 266 1.55x
Islington London 265 1.39x
Hackney London 217 1.97x
Kensington London 214 1.96x
St Pancras London 203 1.29x
Bethnal Green London 201 2.36x
Camberwell 184 1.47x
Mile End Old Town London 170 4.07x
Shoreditch London 163 1.92x
Liverpool 154 1.09x
St Marylebone London 152 1.45x
Bermondsey 151 2.59x
Birmingham 146 0.89x
Battersea 142 1.97x
Leeds 134 1.22x
West Ham 127 1.49x
Deptford St Paul 121 2.34x
Portsea 116 1.47x
Chelsea London 114 1.93x
Luton 114 6.48x
Clerkenwell London 111 2.40x
Northowram 104 7.63x
Aston 103 0.76x
Oldham 102 1.36x
Bradford 99 2.10x
St George In East London 90 4.88x
Paddington London 89 1.23x
Manchester 88 0.84x
Halifax 84 2.94x
Hammersmith London 83 1.72x
Hampstead London 81 2.65x
Newington 81 1.12x
Salford 78 1.14x
Bromley London 75 1.74x
St George Hanover Square 73 2.11x
Blackburn 71 1.15x
Stoke Damerel 71 2.48x
Croydon 70 1.32x
Plymouth St Andrew 70 2.23x
Lewisham 69 1.93x
Sculcoates 66 2.14x
Aldbourn 63 62.37x
Keighley 63 3.04x
Bow London 59 2.36x
Sowerby In Halifax 59 9.28x
Everton 57 0.77x
Ashton Under Lyne 54 1.06x
Great Yarmouth 54 2.16x
Southwark St George Martyr 53 1.34x
Glasgow 52 0.46x
Westminster St John 52 2.18x
Bury 51 1.92x
Fulham London 51 1.79x
Newton 49 2.73x
Burnley 47 2.40x
Preston 47 0.75x
Skipton 47 7.68x
Woolwich 47 1.90x
Greenwich 46 1.47x
Cheltenham 45 1.52x
Holy Trinity 45 0.96x
Horsforth 45 10.56x
Streatham 45 3.09x
Westminster St James 45 2.23x
Great Little Marsden 44 4.13x
Huddersfield 44 1.55x
Royal Navy 44 2.20x
Bromley 43 4.21x
Swindon 43 3.19x
Great Bolton 42 1.36x
Rawdon 42 18.34x
Spotland 42 1.62x
Tottenham 42 1.34x
Wolverhampton 42 0.82x
Barony 41 0.26x
Ealing 41 2.34x
Kingston On Thames 41 1.79x
Cardiff St Mary 40 2.13x
Elland Cum Greetland 40 4.57x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 39 1.08x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Barrett surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 1,379
Elizabeth 708
Sarah 691
Jane 365
Ann 356
Ellen 341
Emma 320
Eliza 293
Alice 279
Annie 260
Emily 247
Hannah 180
Margaret 173
Martha 169
Catherine 144
Maria 140
Louisa 139
Charlotte 138
Caroline 128
Fanny 115
Edith 113
Kate 107
Florence 106
Harriet 100
Ada 92
Susan 86
Lucy 81
Frances 78
Anne 74
Clara 73
Julia 70
Rose 66
Harriett 64
Rebecca 62
Agnes 60
Amelia 56
Sophia 52
Jessie 49
Esther 48
Isabella 48
Bridget 43
Laura 39
Minnie 39
Eleanor 36
Susannah 36
Anna 35
Ethel 34
Rosa 34
Amy 33
Elizth. 33

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Barrett surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 1,260
John 1,072
George 639
James 622
Thomas 590
Charles 413
Henry 409
Joseph 307
Richard 222
Robert 215
Arthur 214
Alfred 213
Edward 211
Frederick 197
Samuel 163
Walter 143
Albert 123
Harry 115
Herbert 89
Ernest 87
Frank 87
Benjamin 80
Patrick 73
David 62
Fred 59
Francis 57
Edwin 56
Michael 56
Wm. 53
Daniel 51
Thos. 45
Stephen 38
Peter 28
Fredk. 27
Isaac 27
Chas. 26
Geo. 26
Sidney 26
Percy 25
Abraham 24
Edmund 22
Jonathan 20
Matthew 20
Tom 20
Anthony 19
Christopher 18
Sydney 18
Edgar 17
Willm. 17
Joshua 16

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Barrett households.

FAQ

Barrett surname: questions and answers

How common was the Barrett surname in 1881?

In 1881, 20,042 people were recorded with the Barrett surname. That placed it at #188 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Barrett surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 31,051 in 2016. That gives Barrett a modern rank of #174.

What does the Barrett surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a bear trainer or keeper of bears.

What does the Barrett map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Barrett bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.